A Small Gesture of Great Impact
by ekrolo2
Summary: Obi-Wan had failed his apprentice and closest friend. Anakin was suffering, and the only balm he was offered were Jedi platitudes. That was about to come to an end. [Labyrinth of Evil, Legends AU]
1. Chapter 1

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, following in his footsteps. "Anakin!"

He continued storming away from the cruiser's ventral landing bay, his ripped cloak swirling in the air menacingly with the heavy stomps of his boots. Two approaching clone troopers nearly collided with him, only narrowly skirting to each side. Anakin paid them no mind. Obi-Wan didn't require his eyes or even the Force to recognize the crew's tension, the dead silence filling the air said enough.

He turned to address the crew chief observing the scene. "Please, contact me or Commander Skywalker the moment you receive word from Coruscant."

"O-Of course, sir." The chief replied with a fairly good approximation of nonchalance. Obi-Wan nodded and continued after Anakin, trying his best to ignore the whispers already going around the bay. His trail was easy enough to follow: if there was a bewildered clone or ship officer staring after seemingly nothing at all down the corridors, it was a good bet Anakin had passed or certainly pushed his way through.

_I should have seen this coming,_ Obi-Wan thought. Ever since their assault on Nute Gunray's estate on Caito Neimodia some weeks ago, Anakin had become gradually more and more impatient. They finally had a lead to discovering the truth behind the Sith, ending the war once and for all and returning home to Coruscant after months away. It was far from an easy investigation, however. Between being assaulted by Xi Char, infiltrating a remote prison without their lightsabers, witnessing the evacuee massacre at Belderone, Obi-Wan could very easily sympathize with Anakin's feelings of frustration. Particularly after just narrowly missing Dooku.

Thankfully, the Force was with him, Anakin's march concluded in one of the smaller ship's crew areas where men and women responsible for keeping their various ships function slept.

"Out! Now!" Anakin's voice resounded from inside, sending a trio of engineers scurrying from the room.

"Please accept my apologies," Obi-Wan gave them a small smile. "We won't take long."

The room was large enough to house a dozen people with bunk beds situated on the eastern and western walls. In the middle, there was a table with freshly opened food rations, certainly abandoned by the three engineers unceremoniously ushered out. Anakin stood before the northern wall, hands behind his back, legs spread wide, seemingly staring at nothing at all. One might mistake him for meditating but Obi-Wan knew better from the harsh, strong way his chest went up and down.

Locking the door behind him to ensure more privacy, Obi-Wan slowly walked over next to Anakin's left side. Though he tried not to let it show, there was worry, tension, and anger present in the young man's face. His eyes locked into a scowl, his jaw clenched. Neither one said anything to the other for a few moments.

"We were wrong to come here, Master," Anakin ended the silence. "I was wrong to come here. We're being kept away from Coruscant, I can feel it."

"You wouldn't be saying that if we'd captured Dooku."

"But we didn't, Master. That's what counts. And now no communication with Coruscant? You don't even see it, do you?"

Obi-Wan regarded him carefully. "See what, Anakin?"

Anakin started to speak, then cut himself off and began again. "You should keep me fighting. You shouldn't give me time to think."

Obi-Wan rested his hand on Anakin's shoulders. "Calm yourself."

Anakin shrugged him off, and at last turned to face him, a new fire in his eyes. "You're my best friend. Tell me what I should do. Forget for a moment that you're wearing the robes of a Jedi and tell me what I should do!"

Stung by the gravity in Anakin's voice, Obi-Wan fell silent for a moment, then said: "The Force is our ally, Anakin. When we're mindful of the Force, our actions are in accord with the will of the Force. Tythe wasn't a wrong choice. It's simply that we're ignorant of its import in the greater scheme."

Anakin lowered his head in sadness. "You're right, Master. My mind isn't as fast as my lightsaber." He stared at his artificial limb. "My heart isn't as impervious to pain as my right hand."

Obi-Wan felt as if someone had knotted his insides. He had failed his apprentice and closest friend. Anakin was suffering, and the only balm he offered were Jedi _platitudes_. The realization shocked him almost as much as Anakin's own words did. Once more, it did not take the Force for him to know why his apprentice was so troubled by the thought of Coruscant in-danger. Oh, the Temple, Jedi and even Palpatine were certainly a factor there but Obi-Wan knew of one person who superseded them all in importance. But, did he dare say it? The question hung in his mind, a whole series of arguments against it already springing to mind.

Yet, seeing Anakin standing before him, saddened, defeated, Obi-Wan could not help himself. Doing what Anakin asked him to, he allowed himself to forget he wore the robes of a Jedi and followed his instincts.

"I know you miss Padmé."

The effect was instantaneous. Anakin's whole body froze, his breath caught, nervousness overcoming all other emotions. Obi-Wan fought the urge to laugh, it reminded him of the many instances his apprentice knew he had done something wrong as a boy and was about to suffer the consequences of it.

"W-What do you..." He licked his lips, looking everywhere but at Obi-Wan.

"I know, Anakin."

"Know what-"

"What you feel for her, she for you and very likely what you do in the nights when I can't seem to find you at the Temple, on the rare occasion we're back home," The words came out with surprising ease. Obi-Wan had thought many times of confronting Anakin on this subject and imagined it going very awkwardly for the both of them. It was only half of the truth, Anakin was doing more than a fine enough job of being troubled for the both of them. His cheeks were red, his breathing haggard, his feet unsure.

_Another moment and he'll collapse on the ground. _Placing a gentle hand on Anakin's back, he guided his student over the table, offering a chair to him first before seating himself. Another few moments of silence passed until Anakin worked the nerve to look at him once again.

"H-How long...?"

"Truthfully?" Obi-Wan ran a hand through his beard, taking a moment to think it through. "At least three years. Your feelings for her were quite obvious to me from the moment you were reunited. It helped you did a rather... Poor job of masking it."

"That doesn't mean anything," Anakin shook his head, a measure of resolve back in his voice. "It doesn't prove we're-"

"No, it doesn't," Obi-Wan cut in calmly. "However, sneaking away with her to Naboo on our last shore leave does not leave much to the imagination, Anakin. We very nearly came to blows when I went to retrieve you for the Ventress hunt there."

Anakin looked away again, left hand resting on the table, the artificial one running through his unruly hair. Noticing a glass of clear water, Obi-Wan offered it to him, making a note to refill it for the engineer once they were through there.

"Thanks," Anakin drank it the same way the unfortunates of Naos III tried to drink away their lost hopes, crushed dreams. Putting the glass aside, Anakin stared back at the northern wall. Face pressed against the knuckles of his left hand, completely unreadable. Even to someone without the Force who knew him, the look on Anakin's face alone showed how troubled he was by this.

"Who else knows?"

"Knows? With certainty? No one but me and Yoda."

His eyes blazed again in an instant, the scowl from earlier trained directly at Obi-Wan. "You told him?!"

"Not at all," Obi-Wan answered, unfazed. "Yoda realized it himself long ago from the few times he'd seen you and Padmé together."

"And he said nothing?" Nothing at all?"

"We may have exchanged a knowing or worrying glance once or twice but no, we've never spoken of it. I would never betray you like that, Anakin and neither would he."

"Really?" Anakin twisted into an ugly, angry smile. "You expect me to believe that Master Yoda, head of the Jedi Order, of the Jedi Council has known about me breaking the rules for years now and he's never, not once said a word about it?!"

Obi-Wan frowned at the sheer disbelief and sarcasm in Anakin's words. "Whether you believe it or not won't change the truth. Yoda has known and he has done nothing to oust or prevent you from continuing your relationship with Padmé. Why would you possibly believe otherwise?"

"Because he's never liked me!" Anakin's organic limb slammed the table, scattering trays and glasses in a messy pile of ruined food and spilled drinks. Obi-Wan took note to apologize for those as well. "Ever since I met him, all I've ever felt is disapproval for my very existence! Him! Windu and all the rest of them!"

"Anakin, Master Yoda has always been one of your most ardent supporters on the Council. When the decision was split on whether to accept you in the order at all it was he who voted for you to become my apprentice. When the Council convened to discuss the matter of your knighting, Master Yoda once again voted in your favor when other masters voiced their doubts."

The effect on Anakin was instantaneous once more, the fire subsided. Obi-Wan ordinarily would have thought this enough but today, it seemed it was time to let some things have their time out in the open.

"And three years ago, when I was captured by Dooku on Geonosis and you lost your mother," He sighed, giving Anakin a sympathetic look. "Yoda felt it all the way to Coruscant. He spoke of your pain, your sorrow. He has always been attuned to your feelings, Anakin, and sensing your despair wounded him."

The final embers died out with that. Once more, Anakin's head was lowered, body almost limply sitting in the chair. Reaching out to Anakin, he found his former apprentice more open than he'd been for a very long time to Obi-Wan's senses. Since before The Clone Wars were anything more than the rumblings of Senators and HoloNet gossip.

"What happens now...?" He asked, voice rough as though he were on the verge of tears. His insides knotting again, Obi-Wan leaned forward and placed a comforting hand on Anakin's left shoulder.

"We go on, old friend," A smile touched Obi-Wan's face. "We end this war at long last and help bring peace to the Republic and to ourselves."

"But Padmé and I-"

"Is a matter we will discuss when the time for it arrives. Yoda and I both will speak on your behalf, as we always have."

"What if..." Anakin shook his head. "What if I get kicked out anyway."

"Then the Council is as foolish as Qui-Gon always told me they were," The words came out, spoken with such ease and certainty they surprised Obi-Wan almost as much as Anakin. Finally, his student's head rose back to meet his gaze, shock clear on his face. Once again, Obi-Wan considered leaving it there and once again, decided otherwise. "And if they should remove the bravest, finest young Knight this Order has seen in a thousand years, then they shall go on without me as well."

Anakin's mouth hung open, making him appear like a Mon Calamari. "Y-You can't! Obi-Wan! The Order is your life! You can't do that! Not for me!"

"Why not? Qui-Gon would have, do you doubt my ability to?"

"Th-That's not what I meant," Sharply, Anakin rose, knocking over his chair. One more thing for Obi-Wan to fix whenever they concluded. "I just... This is too much... I-I never..."

"Thought you'd have this conversation with me?" Obi-Wan rose as well, gently. "Truth be told, I never thought it would happen either. Me playing the fool and you... Reluctant to share with me."

"... I'm sorry," Anakin said in a small voice. "I-I should've told you. A lot sooner, I should've trusted you..."

"Yes, well," Obi-Wan spoke with some hesitance for the first time. "I can understand why you wouldn't... Master Qui-Gon always said I was a bit too... Unapproachable, too in-line with the Council..."

"Clenched-jaw insistence."

"I'm sorry?"

There was a smile on Anakin's face all of a sudden, one he hadn't seen in some time. "You once told me Master Qui-Gon said your greatest flaw was your clenched-jaw insistence on absolute correctness."

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, eyebrow raised in suspicion. "And whatever made me say this to you?"

"It was the ahh, hoi-broth incident."

"Stars' end..." Obi-Wan muttered, fingers pressing against the sudden headache already threatening to overwhelm him. "I'm never going to live that down..."

Anakin laughed immediately, quite unabashedly. Obi-Wan managed a momentary glare before doing the same. It felt good, a welcome reprieve from weeks, no, years of tension and secrets on both sides. Once again, Master Yoda's advice to give a name to your fears to banish them was proven true once again. Though, Obi-Wan thought it wise not to share a Jedi platitude.

Eventually, the laughter died down, Anakin looking and feeling more at ease. Standing taller, as well, as though the weight of the ages had been finally removed from his shoulders.

"Well, Obi-Wan said, glancing at the table, "I suppose we should tidy up, we did ruin the crew's meal after all."

Before he could do so, Anakin stepped forward. Already, worry and anxiety suddenly permeated through him in the Force. To say nothing of the pained look he sent Obi-Wan's way.

"I... There's more I need to tell you..."

* * *

**A/N: Next time, Anakin spills more of his guts out, no matter how much he'd rather avoid it. **


	2. Chapter 2

"I... There's more I need to tell you..." Anakin regretted the words the moment they came out. Obi-Wan, Padmé, Yoda and many, many across the years had called him rightfully impulsive. Among other variations on the same word, more and less flattering depending on who was saying it. But that particular approach had served him well in the war so far, it had saved his life, the lives of those close to him, innocents and allowed him to win battles most thought impossible.

This was entirely different. There was no droid army to slice through, a line to hold or even Sith Lord to cut down. It meant saying things, things one could never un-say and could change... Everything. For a moment there, when the tension in the room finally eased and it seemed as though the storm had passed, Anakin fully intended to stop right then and there. Yet, deep down, somewhere in the back of his mind... The thought of doing so clearly bothered him.

How he very much wanted to slice that part of himself down to pieces as he stared back at Obi-Wan's questioning look.

"There is?"

"... Yes," Anakin spoke through dry lips and a sore throat. "Padmé and I... We aren't just together... She and I... Are husband and wife..."

"Married? For how long?"

"... Three years. We did it on Naboo, just after Geonosis..."

"Well," Obi-Wan stroked his beard, neither voice nor expression changing one bit. It was puzzling, infuriating. "I suppose congratulations are in order."

He smiled as though it was no great matter at all, even taking Anakin's artificial hand in his and shaking it. Anakin just continued staring, mouth hanging slightly open.

"Please tell Senator Amidala the same when you see or hear from her again."

Anakin numbly nodded, releasing Obi-Wan's hand. Again, the way this conversation moved baffled him. A thousand times he'd played it out in his head: revealing the truth to his master and each one ending worse than the last. His reactions to the news ranged from heartbreak, profound despair, even anger. Each time, Anakin assumed the worst outcome, the worst from the man who was now genuinely smiling before him, giving his sincere congratulations.

A lump formed in his throat, from happiness, shame,... and something else. Another secret to share, one he dreaded telling Obi-Wan more than his marriage. One he would most certainly not take with calm or understanding or in stride. Yet, his reaction to this news just now...

"There's something else too," Deliberately avoiding Obi-Wan's gaze, he lifted the chair he'd pushed down and sat in it. His mind was whirling with memories and emotions that cut deep into Anakin's very soul even three years later. "It's about my mother, what happened to her..."

"Her name was Shmi, if I recall correctly," Obi-Wan sat down as well, Anakin refused to look at him. "I never knew her myself but Qui-Gon only said the finest things about her."

"She was amazing. She was..." He smiled. "My whole world, before you or Padmé or even the Chancellor... No matter how harsh things got in Tatooine with Watto or something else, she never let that cursed place bring her down."

"For you," He heard the smile in Obi-Wan's voice. Anakin's died away.

"After I left, a man named Cliegg Lars, a moisture farmer bought and freed her. He was... Kind to her. He married her, made her happy when I was... Away..."

Anakin swallowed back the lump. "Three years ago, when my nightmares about her started and you were away chasing Jango Fett... The worst of them came on Naboo. Padmé... She told me to go there, saying we could use the pretense of our cover being blown to change hiding spots... When we got there, I got to the Lars farm and I met with Cliegg, his son Owen and Beru, Owen's fiance. They said... They said Tusken Raiders had taken her captive, attacked and killed scores of farmers... Cliegg tried to fight back but they took his leg..."

Obi-Wan offered him another glass of the crewmates' water, Anakin waved it aside. "I hunted the Tuskens down, I could feel her in the Force... I snuck into one of their tents... And I found her there..."

A cold fury swept through Anakin's body, evaporating the lump, the fear, the shame away. His replacement arm curled into a tight fist. Faintly, he heard the mechanisms of it whine from the strain. "They'd beaten her, tortured her for days and days... That's what my nightmares were, Obi-Wan. I felt... Everything..."

"Anakin-"

"She died in my arms!" Anakin shouted, vividly recalling how he held her. Watched the light fade from her eyes. Then, he looked Obi-Wan dead in the eye. His chest on fire, his lips curled into a snarl. "And I killed them! All of them! Every man, woman, and child! I gave back everything they did to my mother a thousandfold!"

The shout was so strong, Anakin's ears rang. His voice less of a shout and more of the snarl belonging to the mythical Krayt Dragons of Tatooine. Angry, more animal than human. If there were pain receptors built into his mechanical arm, he was sure it would hurt as hard as breaking one's own fingers.

So he sat, sneering, chest heaving up and down, watching and waiting for Obi-Wan. Once again, Anakin expected a great many things to follow, none of them good and all of which would hurt him almost as much as they did Obi-Wan. A look of disgust, shame, a frustrated lecture.

Instead, Obi-Wan just looked at him with... Pity. Pity and sadness. Instead of finding reassurance from that, it was only, infuriating?

"I understand your feelings, Anakin," He spoke in a voice that proved it, low, respectful. Again, Anakin found no comfort from it, just frustration.

"You understand? You understand?!"

"Of course, you were there when I lost Siri, after all."

Siri Tachi, yes, Obi-Wan's old childhood love. The woman who he watched die... And whose murderer he chose to spare. A fact which bothered him then and added fuel to his fire now.

"Not remotely the same, Obi-Wan, not even close."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You let her murderer live!" He snarled, pointing an accusing finger at Obi-Wan. "If you really understood how I felt... If you really cared you would've cut that monster down right then and there!"

"Anakin," He didn't even get angry then, instead, keeping his voice calm and measured. "Of course I wanted to kill him."

"Then why didn't you? How could you not avenge Siri Tachi if you loved her?!"

"Because I realized it would accomplish nothing at all," Obi-Wan's eyes left Anakin's, growing distant, infinitely sad. "I asked myself: what would Siri think of me, think of the love I bore her if I used it as an excuse for revenge? What would she think of me if I succumbed to horrible, bloodthirsty vengeance?"

He looked back at Anakin. "She would have never forgiven me. She would have never spoken to me again even if the chance presented itself to us. Only then... Would I truly lose her, forever."

Anakin stared, mouth agape, artificial limb resting back against his body. Obi-Wan let out a long, suffering sigh.

"Anakin, our love for those close to us... It is not measured by the amount of revenge we dispel on those who wrong or kill them. I ask you, as my friend, as the closest thing to a brother I have, would you truly wish for me to punish Magus as you punished the Tuskens?"

The question, its implications left him silent for a while longer. Anakin thought it over, truly thought over in a way he rarely did. At first, it was impossible to imagine Obi-Wan butchering anyone in cold fury. It was so absurd a notion it nearly crossed over into the comical. But eventually, recollecting his own feelings and thoughts of the Tusken slaughter... He could imagine what a vengeful Obi-Wan could look like... And the fire inside his chest was doused by a freezing tsunami of ice water.

Imagining Obi-Wan slaughtering those Tuskens, perhaps if they'd killed Anakin, with men, women, and children at his feet... It was horrifying. More horrifying, he realized, than any battlefield he'd witnessed so far in the Clone Wars. Worse even than Jabiim. What made it truly chilling, down to his very bones, was the realization that if someone did kill Anakin... Obi-Wan might just do it too.

"... No..." He said in a low voice, sounding more like that 9-year-old boy who'd first arrived to the Temple in his ears. "No, I-I'd never want you to do that. It's... It's just..."

"You cannot bring yourself to feel remorse for the action."

All Anakin could do was nod, the lump in his throat was back and suffocating. Again, he expected a lecture, reprimand, something, anything to prove his worst fears years in the making true. Instead, Obi-Wan gently rose from his seat, walked to Anakin's side and rested his arm atop the right shoulder.

"That too, I can understand."

Hesitantly, unbelievingly, Anakin looked at him and saw the same pity and kindness from moments ago.

"I would like for that to not be the case, and I will not begrudge your feelings on the Tuskens directly responsible for your mother's death. But I must ask you, spare a thought for the children if no one else."

"... The children?"

"You are married, Anakin and I assume you and Padmé would both like to have children, one day."

"W-We've... Never really talked about it..."

"And should that day come to pass, how will you be able to look your children in eye when the blood of others is no weight upon your conscience?"

For so many years, he'd thought of Obi-Wan with admiration and frustration as the embodiment of the Jedi. A personification of the Jedi Code, for better or for worse. With every wise council, there could be equally obtuse platitudes of no use to anyone. With every show of kindness, there was a clenched-jaw insistence on rules above emotion.

Yet in these past few minutes, it was as though he was seeing his master for the first time, really seeing him. Obi-Wan Kenobi was not a great man because he followed the Jedi Code. No, he was a great Jedi because he was an exceptional man. A man whose wisdom, integrity and heart were as great, no, infinitely greater than any skills he wielded with a lightsaber, the Force, starfighter...

Not for the first time during their time together, Anakin Skywalker felt wholly undeserving to serve under and with someone like him.

"You're right, Obi-Wan,..." He struggled to keep eye contact. "All this time... I've only ever thought of fueling my hate, even on those who don't deserve it."

Unclipping his lightsaber, he rose to full height and held the weapon, his own life, before his master and friend. "I know I've said this to you a thousand times before but I want you to know I mean it this time: I-I will do better. I'll learn from all the things I've... Screwed up. I don't care if it takes me the rest of my life, I don't care if I never pull it off... But I promise you, Obi-Wan, I'll never ever stop trying to be worthy of being your student and friend."

Obi-Wan just smiled, with something like... Pride in his eyes?

"You're already off to a great start."

Anakin blinked, giving him a confused look when a very old, very familiar person's words sprang to mind. He couldn't but grin. "If we win the fight, matters not. Only that we fight."

"He is a wise one, that Yoda."

_More than I knew, _Anakin admitted, chiding himself. Returning his lightsaber to its belt, he glanced around the ruined table, remembering how he'd terrified the room's owners out. "I'll clean up, Master. It is my fault the mess is here."

"It's no trouble if I help, not as though we've any other pressing concerns to deal with-"

A familiar series of tooting, shrilling, and chittering came from the other side of the door, accompanied by a series of loud banging noises against the metal.

"General Skywalker! General Kenobi!" The crew chief's muffled voice shouted. "Your astromech droid! Something's got it in a tizzy!"

Exchanging glances, the two of them crossed to the south wall, Obi-Wan unlocking the room open. The diamond shape of the door faded into the interior of the walls. Artoo was inside instantaneously, letting the grating series of noises come clearly through.

"Artoo, Artoo!" Anakin said in a soothing voice. "Calm down, what is going on?"

An urgent series of beeps came out, clear as regular Basic.

"He says there's an urgent message from Coruscant..." He turned to Obi-Wan, answering his unspoken question. "Grievous has attacked the capital!"

Obi-Wan took the news in stride. "Chief, I do believe you should refuel and rearm our starfighters."

"Way ahead of you, General."

"Good work," Anakin said first, already moving out the room toward the docking bay, Artoo and Obi-Wan following him on each side. "I hate being right..."

"Everyone does in circumstances such as these."

As he walked through the corridors, seeing the whole ship abuzz with activity, clone troopers already meeting with their units, engineers repairing or refueling ships, astromechs of every kind beeping and whistling, Anakin felt... not quite calm. There was worry there, certainly, for Padmé, for the Chancellor, for Master Yoda, even for members of the Order he hadn't gotten along with before. But the cold fear, the dread that used to gnaw at him, endlessly relentlessly... Particularly whenever someone he loved was in danger, it just wasn't there anymore.

With a smile completely unbecoming of the situation, Anakin didn't need to think much about why that was.


	3. Chapter 3

War had come to Coruscant.

Anakin knew hours before they'd arrived there, just one among many forces taken from other fronts to reinforce the Republic's capital world. Before they'd even left hyperspace, the currents of the Force, surprisingly strong, warned him destruction and death were waiting for them on the other side. But until he saw it with his own eyes, he couldn't truly believe it. This world, his home more than Tatooine ever was, had gotten its first taste of what he, Obi-Wan and countless other Jedi and clone troopers experienced day after day out for three years.

Dozens, possibly hundreds of Republic and Separatist capital ships hovered or flew across the skies of Coruscant, trading turbolaser bolts with enough power by themselves to bring an entire city down. Countless smaller lights belonging to vulture droids, tri-fighters buzzed around the larger vessels, exchanging smaller turbolaser and missile fire. Each fight lighting the void of space with flashes of blue, green and red. Each defeat or victory releasing an explosion or a tremor of death within the Force.

Anakin felt these currents more prominently than ever before. Almost overwhelming him in these first moments when his and Obi-Wan's starfighters entered the storm. His mind immediately went to Padmé and Threepio on the ground with questions about their safety, their well being... Their survival. Soon, his concern grew to everyone else fighting below: Master Yoda, Master Fisto, even Master Windu. He feared for Chancellor Palpatine, the brave man who'd held the Republic together through these trying times, now in the hands of butchers and monsters such as Grievous and Dooku.

It was during this brief phase of fear that Anakin almost retreated to an old tactic of fighting it back. By focusing on the heat of the battle, his determination to save everyone he could, his anger fueling him forward under the surface of Jedi training. But he remembered the promise he'd made to Obi-Wan, his oath to do better.

So he took a simple exercise from his old Master: Anakin gathered all of these thoughts, worries, and fears into his chest with a long inhale and with an exhale, let them flow out of his body. These things were still present but suddenly, they didn't leave him with a sweating hand, dry lips or with a heavy feeling in his gut. A calming feeling washed over him, it felt like the cool waters of Naboo all over again.

He found the sensation completely bizarre for a battlefield but not unwelcome. It helped a stir from Obi-Wan flying next to him helped ease the tension with a bit of humor.

"There isn't a droid made who can outfly you, Master." He opened communications with his former teacher with a smile.

"Sorry," Obi-Wan muttered from the other end. His starfighter dodging a turbolaser blast with the same impossible ease with which he used his lightsaber. "Was that out loud?"

"I know what you're thinking, you hate flying more than I hate Tatooine."

He almost expected to receive a chide for implying a Jedi could or should hate. Instead, Obi-Wan let out a huff that may have been a smile. "Yes, well, some things are harder to walk past than others."

"Too true,..." Anakin trailed off, refocusing on the battle at hand. The path to Grievous' vessel, the _Invisible Hand_, was about as dangerous as one would expect. Between dodging up and down, sometimes through, exploding Republic and Separatist capital ships, vulture droids were a constant nuisance. For any ordinary pilots, it would have been impossible. For Anakin and Obi-Wan, it was simply difficult.

They moved with even better cohesion than usual. Without needing to speak or even ask for the assistance of their droids, Obi-Wan and Anakin knew precisely what the other would do and when. If one needed to act as the bait for the other to get rid of some unwanted guests, they did so with ease. If one needed to blast some droids ripping the hull of the others starfighter away, it was as simple as taking a step forward.

The Team, as Anakin and many others called them, was in fine form today. Obi-Wan's usual disdain for flying even seemed to vanish into the ether, alongside Anakin's own fears and anxieties. Every time they threatened to become a bother, he simply took a deep breath and let them vanish into the void of space. Each following attempt easier than its predecessor.

In no time, Grievous' ship came into view, a monstrosity over a thousand meters long, it was the crown jewel of Separatist engineering. A masterpiece of ship manufacturing and a terrifying sight for any world unlucky enough to see it hovering above their orbit. From within that ship, Anakin could feel the dark side, more potently than ever. His artificial limb burned as though a lightsaber was cutting through it again.

Dooku was most definitely there. With the most difficult breathing exercise thus far, he put the matter aside. There was no use worrying about him when they still had to reach their destination. Positioning themselves toward an available hangar bay, Obi-Wan and Anakin dodged and fought through a slew of vulture droids sent their way, leaving the blasted tin cans as nothing more than space dust in their wake.

With a spinning flurry, Anakin opened exactly twelve shots. Three taking care of the remaining vulture droids while the remaining nine found their mark, carving into_ Invisible Hand's_ hangar shield generator, bringing it down wholesale. A warning flash from the Force from Obi-Wan reminded him of what he already knew: they would try to seal the hangar with metal doors immediately.

The giant slabs of metal slid across the opposite end from where Anakin took care of the shields, and impossibly thick wall of armor nothing short of capital ship laser fire could hope to penetrate. By then it would be too late to save the Chancellor. Without a spoken word, the two Jedi flew at full speed toward the hangar, their droids taking care of the rest while their pilots already unhooked from their seats, lightsabers poised to strike.

The starfighters made it, crashing into the hanger, sliding against the steel floor, cutting down several battle droids already positioned inside. Before their momentum died down, both hatches were flung open, both Jedi jumped high into their and both blue lightsabers came to life with snap hisses.

Reverting into their respective skills with Shien and Soresu respectively, Anakin and Obi-Wan deflected dozens of blaster bolts, carving their path through the welcoming committee. Just as in space, the two said nothing and knew everything. If a bolt threatened to wound or kill the other, their partner was already taking care of it with a block, saber swing or push with the Force. Anakin in particular felt the currents stronger here, his body almost moving without thinking or feeling at all.

By the time the last of the battle droids were scrap, he blinked a few times, surprised by how it all seemed to just... Flash before his eyes. Their enemies were cut to pieces so quickly, even the ones attempting to retreat didn't get the chance to. A calm, stillness came over the hangar, the storm of blaster fire dead.

"No reinforcements,..." Obi-Wan pointed out, lightsaber shutting off.

"Yeah," Anakin did the same. "Nothing suspicious about that at all."

"Certainly not."

"Artoo!" He looked to the astromech droid already popping out of his starfighter socket. "Find out where the Chancellor is."

The little droid gave an affirmative beep, deftly strolling through the wreckage of sliced to pieces droids littering the place. His datajack rotated into the wall socket, the data projected for their viewing convenience through Artoo's holoprojector eye. Near their feet, Anakin saw a blue image of Palpatine, shackled to a massive chair, looking as though he'd aged ten years in the handful of months since they'd seen one another in person.

He took another calming breath. "Show me where he is."

The image morphed into a schematic of the ship. Far atop the coning spire, a single red light pulsed brightly.

"The General's Quarters," Obi-Wan's said. "Is Grievous himself there?"

Artoo gave a negative whine, Anakin's eyes narrow from suspicion. "No one's there, not even bodyguards?"

"They have to make the trap look convincing, after all."

"Dooku certainly is."

"So he is here,..."

"You didn't feel him?"

Obi-Wan gave him a confused look. "You sensed Dooku here?"

"From the moment I laid eyes on this monstrosity of a ship," He turned, noticing the strange look from his master. "What, you didn't?"

"I had guessed he fled here, Grievous certainly would never attempt something so bold without the Count's assistance. The Chancellor's homing beacon remaining perfectly clear throughout all the noise outside was another clue."

"I don't know about the beacon, but,..." Anakin looked at the ceiling, feeling the power of the dark side more potently from within the ship. The chill passing through him was almost enough to douse the burning sensation from his right arm. "The dark side is impossibly strong up there..."

Obi-Wan laid a warm hand on Anakin's shoulder, his face surprisingly calm despite this news. "Then let us see if we can't do something about it."

Anakin grinned, gesturing to one of the nearby doors. "By all means, after you."

* * *

"There is a disturbance in the Force."

His master's voice reverberated through the faint explosions of the battle outside, through Dooku's musings on the battle to come, his observations of the ridiculous ways Kenobi and Skywalker fought through the _Invisible Hand_. It was a voice he knew quite well, one so strong it seemed almost to enter his own mind. What it said, piqued Count Dooku's curiosity.

"A disturbance, my master?" He asked, turning towards the chair where Chancellor Palpatine, no, Darth Sidious, sat upon, playing the role of the great leader of the Republic. His true allegiances, for the time being, still concealed to all but Dooku himself. Even that pitiful creature Grievous knew not of whom he actually served and had taken hostage. Certainly not the true purpose behind the act.

"Yes," Sidious answered slowly, his lips twisted into a slight curl of contempt. "Young Skywalker, he is too... At peace."

Dooku's first reaction was to say laugh and say "Impossible.". He had experienced first-hand mere hours ago on Tythe the depths of his instability, the boy's rage and the power of it when unleashed. An entire building's roof brought down with a mere shout. But a gentleman did not react to such news as an overconfident child, certainly not to his own master.

Instead, he merely said, "How is this possible? Skywalker's... Deficiences with self-control were most apparent to me, master."

"As they were to me, long ago, Lord Tyrannus. Yet, something has changed," Sidious' eyes almost gleamed yellow, his gaze moving beyond the physical into the deep reaches of the shadows of the dark side. "There is still fear in him, uncertainty, rage. However, it is of a tempered sort, controlled through conscious actions of his own making."

Peering back towards the holoprojector display, Dooku watched the two of them more closely. He had moments ago dismissed their wild swinging of lightsabers, their dismantling of droids and blatant disregard for the intricacies of the Force for pedantic uses as more of the standard. The flagrant foolishness was endemic to the Jedi order itself.

A closer look revealed there was a method to the madness. Kenobi was the same as ever, deftly deflecting and carving through droids. Skywalker, on the other hand, was not quite as wild as before. There was more of a method to his usual madness. His swings more precise, less wasteful and the synchronicity between him and Kenobi even sharper than usual.

He could not perceive the boy's true emotions, not from this distance. Sidious had placed himself over a decade ago in the ideal position for that. Still, Dooku did not remain convinced this would change anything. He would, of course, defer to his master's observations and keen insight nonetheless.

"Something to be concerned with, my lord?"

Sidious did not speak for a moment, instead, he simply smiled. Whatever Skywalker's change had done to sour his master's mood was only a fleeting concern.

"No, no I do not think so." He leaned back into the chair, his face masked in the shadow cast by it. His voice silken. Just as with the mechnochair incident and a handful of other instances, Sidious' plans rarely went awry. If they did, the obstacle was as fleeting as his displeasure. For his master always found a way to turn anything, everything, to ultimately the Sith's advantage. Where others panicked, surrendered or failed to adapt in the face of adversity, Sidious conquered, one way or another.

"If anything, this will work to our advantage. Whatever Kenobi has done to center his wayward apprentice shall crumble all the more upon his death."

_It will also make him far more dangerous to tame when he does break. _A small voice born of fear spoke to Dooku. One of recent birth, since the near-disaster on Tythe. One he most diligently stamped beneath his boot heel once again. He would not dignify such thoughts with any acknowledgment save for swift and efficient death.

His master was, as always, correct. Kenobi would perish, Dooku would take the fall, enhancing the reputation of the sole surviving Jedi with an untarnished reputation. The very same Jedi who would help bring about the final fall of the Republic, serve as the commander for the Sith army and bring about the rise of an Empire. An entity to last forever, with a firm, human guiding hand to ensure the corrupt swine of the Senate and their ilk never poisoned the galaxy again. Yes, all would continue as perceived and prepared by the Sith.

"The greater the hope, the most profound the fall," Dooku could not help but bow at the wisdom of it.

"Well spoken, my apprentice," The shadow of Sidious smiled. "Prepare yourself, Tyrannus, the other actors in our play are near and we would not wish to deliver a half-hearted performance now would we."


	4. Chapter 4

The turbolift's doors slid open, revealing an empty lift lobby beyond, as pale and gray as the rest of the ship. The still silence was only broken up by the hum of two, blue lightsabers and the faint sizzling of freshly cut blaster droids on the elevator's floor. Obi-Wan turned his off, Anakin resisted the urge to. The dark side was suffocatingly present there, prickling his skin and leaving his throat coarse as though he was back on Illum or Tatooine at night. Besides Obi-Wan, his ignited saber brought the only form of warmth to this foreboding place.

It didn't help Dooku, all of a sudden, became quite a bit more difficult to sense out. His very presence left its mark on the Force certainly but the point from which it seeped out was hidden. No doubt the Count had immersed himself far deeper into Qey'tek meditation, wanting to keep his presence a surprise. The fact he was detectable during their approach there was most definitely a conscious decision by Dooku. Or maybe an oversight? After all, Obi-Wan couldn't tell he was there from the Force.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan's voice jolted him out of the trance he'd fallen into. His master cast a meaningful look to the still ignited lightsaber. As ever he appeared calm, Anakin envied his ability to not sense or ignore the chill. "Rescue, not mayhem."

"Of course..." The saber was de-activated, though Anakin kept his grip firmly around the focusing crystal inside. "Sorry, it's just, the dark side... I've never felt it like this... Not even... On Tatooine..."

"No doubt the Count's prowess with it has substantially increased. It has been three years after all."

Anakin somehow doubted this. Something, perhaps from the Force, was telling, no, warning him there was more to this than meets the eye. But when he tried to probe for more answers, there was only a thick fog where clarity should have been. With another deep, almost shuddering breath, he let the frustration and chill pass into then out of him, evaporating into almost a cold exhale.

"Well done."

"What?"

"That breathing maneuver," There was a ghost of a smile on Obi-Wan's face. "You've saved me the need to lecture."

"Don't worry, master," He smiled back. "I'm sure you'll find something else to lecture me about in no time."

"... I suppose," Obi-Wan bowed ruefully. "I shall have to stop trying to train you. Eventually."

"That's the first time you've admitted it."

He laughed. "Yes, it appears this day continues to be one of admissions and revelations for us both."

The ship rumbled, drawing their attention back to the door on the opposite end of the lobby. With slow, careful steps, they made their way to it, backs pressed to walls on the opposite ends. Just before the sensors would detect their approach and fling the doors open, Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged one final look. There was no need for words or promises or reassurances. The synchronicity that'd built between them since the battle had begun told them all they needed to.

With the chill almost entirely beaten back, Anakin entered the room alongside his master with a calm, certainty.

This mirrored approach continued into the bank of chairs each side of the massive situation table dominating the center of the General's Quarters' main room. It was a darkly lit place, the only illumination coming from a huge, curving wall on the far end. Outside, one could see the battle raging on with flashes of turbolaser fire and explosions endlessly going off. No doubt the fighting knocked the power out of this section of the ship.

Against the carnage, there was the silhouette of a single, tall chair. Cautiously, they approached, lightsabers felt firmly in their palms. Bodies poised to strike or block at the first sign of trouble, be it from droids or Sith Lords. When the lights came back, both of them froze at the sight of the rooms only occupant: the Chancellor.

Anakin's earlier observation from Artoo projection was correct, the Chancellor had gotten older, almost impossibly so. And he was afraid. Anakin had never seen the look on his face before, not when the Separatist movement gained momentum or during the numerous instances where Republic forces were beaten back or a system chose to leave the Republic. Chancellor Palpatine was a rock, the rock upon the whole Republic depended on.

To see him like this brought a pang of guilt and pity for this brave man. The latter in-particular prompted Anakin to give the Chancellor a welcoming, friendly smile as he and Obi-Wan approached.

"Chancellor," His master spoke first, a respectful greeting to his tone. He bowed. "I apologize for seeing you again in these circumstances."

"As do I, Master Kenobi," Palpatine managed a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. It grew warmer when he glanced over to Anakin. "And you, my boy."

"Don't worry sir, we'll get you out of this place in no time-"

The temperature in the room dropped noticeably, instantly. Before the Chancellor's face even contorted back into the frightened look, before his lips even anxiously shouted Anakin's name and before either one of them even heard the clank of boot heels and magnapeds resounded through the mostly silent room, both he and Obi-Wan spun around towards the welcoming committee.

* * *

Atop the entrance balcony, Dooku stood and surveyed the image before him, it brought out a pleasant smile: a Sith standing far above and looking down on two Jedi, far below. Well, two Jedi and the greatest lord of the Sith to ever live but why allow pedantry to ruin one's enjoyment?

From this vantage point, he began the final assessment for the task ahead. Gathering the Force into himself, as much as it as he demanded, Dooku felt the potency of the dark side course through him. The wear of 83 years of life vanished as they always did, leaving him feeling as a young man of thirty, of twenty. This was nothing next to the true sensation, however. For the dark side did not simply make one strong, it made one the center of the universe itself. The Force existed only to serve the individual, not the opposite as the foolish Jedi believed.

Through this simple, reflexive practice, the General's Quarters became something else entirely. His perceptions became surgically precise to all three beings situated beneath him. Master Sidious, as always, radiated a power beyond power. A bitch black, absolute nothingness that revealed nothing of itself to anyone, a living black hole of the Force.

Kenobi was his exact opposite. He was the very embodiment to the antiquated order he belonged to: a transparent being, a window into the sunlight of the Force, a being who lived to serve it first and foremost and who would gladly abandon everything into becoming an extension to it.

Skywalker is where Dooku found himself... puzzled. On Tythe, mere hours ago, the boy was a storm cloud, always simmering and eager to unleash itself on anyone unfortunate and unskilled enough to defeat it. Now, he was closer to a bright sun, strong certainly and fully capable of bursting should the need arise but not inherently hostile, waiting to answer conflict instead of initiating it.

_One might even think he could become a proper Jedi,_ Dooku thought with amusement, the thought almost ridiculous enough to prompt a burst of laughter. His lip barely twitched. Gathering the Force around himself, Dooku levitated gently from the balcony and brought himself to their level.

"General Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker," He greeted each with a pleasant tone, a nod to each one. "I am so pleased you've come."

"Get help!" Sidious, Palpatine, whispered in a furious, authentic-sounding panic. "You must get help! Neither one of you is a match for a Sith lord!"

"The Chancellor is correct," Dooku smiled. "Gentlemen, though I find it difficult to address you as such, lay down your weapons and no harm shall come to you."

He expected an empty threat, childish bravado from Skywalker. Again, the boy surprised him. The two merely exchanged glances at one another. Did they look... amused?

"Funny," Kenobi spoke first, casting aside his cloak.

"We were going to offer the same to you."

Dooku allowed himself a small laugh, fingers gently grazing past his lightsaber hiding behind the armorweave cape around his shoulders. "Your weapons, please, gentlemen. Let's not make a mess of this in front of the Chancellor."

As expected, their answer was unhooking their lightsabers first. "Now, now, gentlemen. Should the three of us cross blades, I fear there will be a most unseemly mess before the Chancellor's own eyes. Why, harm may befall him directly. A scenario I have no interest in."

"Why don't I believe you?" Kenobi ignited his blade, gracefully taking steps forward, his arms positioned into the balanced, two-handed Ataru guard.

"You would've killed the Chancellor long ago if you wanted him dead," Skywalker moved at the same pace, blade held above his head in the usual Shien opening stance. "But your master wouldn't approve of that, would he?"

Dooku's expression remained the same. Once again, the urge to laugh was strong. Skywalker, the fool, was certainly correct about Sidious finding the idea of Palpatine's death most troublesome. Instead, he feigned a resigned sigh, cape gently pushed aside and revealed his own lightsaber.

"Surrender, Count, you may not receive another chance to," Kenobi spoke, voice imperceptibly hardening with finality.

"Unless you happen to be hiding Yoda," Dooku unhooked his lightsaber, lifting it forward into the customary Makashi salute. "Then I'm afraid your threats are nothing at all."

His red blade came to life, wrist performing a twist for the salute then resting at Dooku's side. Neither Kenobi or Dooku moved, Skywalker took a long, calming breath. Outside, the sounds of war momentarily intensified from the silence. All three stood on sure feet as another blast hit the _Invisible Hand_, causing the massive vessel to quiver in a way ordinary men would be sent tumbling down. Dooku falsely glanced with concern over his shoulder, letting them think he'd let his guard down.

When the tremor finally ceased, all three moved.

Kenobi leaped theatrically, Skywalker swung as though to block a blaster bolt, Dooku elegantly deflected. With the barest flick of his wrist, his red blade danced through the air in a near mesmerizing swirl of red ripostes. Each one done with expert ease, mastered finesse, a true gentleman's elegance. Kenobi and Skywalker, by comparison, seemed as trained circus beasts. Oh, they could perform all manner of impressive seeming tricks in concert, thrusts, blocks, leaps. But what did this unity account for when their very craft was flawed?

Kenobi's Ataru was a painful thing to behold. So many hours spent dueling Qui-Gon and Yoda both awarded Dooku with an intimate knowledge of the form's capabilities. A woefully wasteful series of jumps, over-exposing lightsaber flourishes, and pathetic defensive capabilities. Skywalker seemed to fight against his own instincts. His blade work kept close to the body for protection against projectile fire yet clumsily put into a situation it was ill-suited too. Still, a form by itself was not at fault. Enslavement to it was.

Dooku stood between them, a rock of red against a constantly incoming sea of blue. Kenobi's thrust failing nearly sent him crashing into the floor, a deft balancing act with his hand ensured a safe landing. Skywalker came from behind, held back by the thrusts and ripostes sent against his own flurry of blade strokes. Dooku made his laugh at such efforts obvious, letting the boy see and hear the satisfaction he gleaned from his futile offensive.

With a flick of his free hand, Skywalker was sent hurtling through the air, above the table and halting only when his spine met steel. Another flick caused Kenobi's swing to turn into a long, painful slide on the opposite wall. While Skywalker gasped and tried to rise, Dooku flung chairs at him through the Force, each one striking Skywalker back down the moment he seemed to catch his feet again.

_There it is, _Dooku thought with satisfaction as he could feel a rise in Skywalker's anger. The humiliation of being toyed with cutting past his newfound calm. With a snarl, he carved the remaining chairs away. Dooku anticipated a bold, hot-blooded leap to follow. Instead, Skywalker simply stopped, his breathing heavy and his expression morphing from anger to shame to... calm. All with a swift, inhale then exhale. Dooku's smile faltered at that, with another flick of his free hand, the table itself was tossed at the boy.

_Let us see how you center yourself with Kenobi's head at my boot. _Dooku could see it in his mind's eye: Skywalker would waste precious moments cutting and leaping to Dooku, Kenobi would thrust, Dooku would effortlessly side-step it and with a wrist flick, cut his way through Kenobi's arms and head in a near-instantaneous motion. His smile returned when events began to play out just so.

Skywalker carved, Kenobi thrust and Dooku flicked for the kill.

There was no hiss of lightsaber cutting flesh, the clank of a dropped weapon or the thud of dismembered limbs. Mid-attack, Kenobi's expression transformed from shocked and pressed... To mildly amused? His posture, momentum, and lightsaber transformed as well, from offense to defense. With a simple flick of his own, Kenobi's blade met Dooku's in a perfect block.

_... What?_

A shadow passed over Dooku, with a single blue light with it. Skywalker leaped but with a strong, overhead slash. The speed, precision and sheer power of it were so great, Dooku felt the heat from his blade pass mere inches from his face.

_What?_

Skywalker was on him immediately, a blinding wave of blue light crashing down against his red. Each step was the blow of a hammer, a step forward in an out of itself. The sheer physical strength would have proven troublesome enough but the speed and ease of his footwork combined with it made for some of the finest Djem So work Dooku had ever seen. Most outstandingly of all: Skywalker's ferocity was not fueled by hate. Possibly without even knowing it himself, Skywalker simply attacked as a matter of his chosen form, a necessary but dispassionate aggressiveness required for a naturally aggressive fighting style. Skywalker was calm in-spite of the battle... Not because of it.

_What?!_

When Dooku tried to counter-attack through the kinetic weave of offensive energy, Skywalker did not block, he did not have to. Kenobi stepped forward and did so for him. With ease mirroring Dooku's own, Kenobi's defense was simplicity itself, no movement was wasted, no opening was left. Kenobi was an immovable object. A master of Soresu.

It was then a horrible realization came over Dooku, who tried and painfully failed to pierce defense or match offense. Awkwardly, unseemly, stepping back more and more at the approaching Jedi warriors. They had played him for a complete fool earlier. The realization came with a dash of genuine fear, that they might possibly be able... to defeat him. Their amused looks alone proved as much.

This would not do at all.

"Droids! Open fire!" He commanded, giving himself a momentary reprieve long enough for his boot to meet Skywalker's chin and to jump himself back to the balcony. The super battle droids did as commanded, hurtling thick, red bolts of blaster fire at the Jedi converging at his location from both sides. It would not buy Dooku much time to gather back his energies but it would have to do. It also split them apart, providing him with an opportunity.

Simultaneously, the two reached the balcony, effortlessly cutting down both of the droids. Skywalker opened with another strong, overhead strike, Dooku did not meet with a blade. Instead, he gathered the energies of the Force into his palm and formed a tight grip around Kenobi's neck. Skywalker's concentration faltered long enough for another kick to meet his stomach pushing him away.

Kenobi gasped painfully, clutching at his neck, entirely helpless to fight back the tendril of the dark side around his neck. Were there more time, Dooku would simply apply the same pressure but Skywalker was rising and time was not a luxury he could afford. Still, there were many other ways of breaking one's neck without crushing it in a figurative hand.

* * *

Anakin grunted, his back aching again from the wall. He ignored it, his ears and danger sense in the Force picking up on Obi-Wan's own, far worse pain. His master's eyes bulged, neck squeezed tight by Dooku's dark side power. Getting up to his knees, Anakin thought about striking the former Jedi, breaking his concentration. But something else, a sensation in the Force told him that wouldn't work. Another brief flash of panic, fear, and anger passed through him, particularly when Dooku's deep, rumbling laughter accompanied Obi-Wan being tossed across the whole room, head poised to shatter against a nearby steel wall.

With a quick, hasty breath, Anakin fell into his very, very recent exercise and simply... Acted. His organic arm reached out and stopped Obi-Wan in-mid air. The three of them held still for a moment, Dooku staring at Obi-Wan, Anakin fighting back against his grip. Before the Count could do anything else, Anakin's other hand thrust forward as well, pushing him off the balcony with such force the very railing bent and snapped away.

Dooku fell, Obi-Wan was gently put back down and Anakin moved at once. Re-igniting his lightsaber, he leaped down from the balcony, falling fifteen feet away from the Sith lord. It was almost funny, watching him wheeze and struggle to get back up after appearing so invincible for so many years. But Anakin let this thought flow out of him as well, instead, he marched with a steady, methodical pace. Obi-Wan joined him and without a spoken word, the two let Dooku rise back to his feet before bringing everything they had down on top of him.

The outcome was inevitable. Obi-Wan outmatched the hard-breathing Count's elegant twists and turns with a lightsaber. Anakin battered down his defenses with strength but dispassion that surprised himself. His body almost moving completely all on its own, not even falling back on thirteen years worth of combat reflexes. It just... knew and that was enough as far as Anakin was concerned.

Eventually, they'd pushed Dooku so far back, they'd reached the Chancellor again who was observing everything with a quiet intensity. There was no fear anymore from him but Anakin noted there was no joy either. A part of him was saddened by the Chancellor not seeming more impressed by this front line view of Jedi versus Sith swordplay. He let go of that too with a calming breath. Instead, he allowed Dooku's slow, sloppy stab attempted at him be met with a fierce block of Anakin's lightsaber.

The momentary switch in their offensive, defensive roles left the Count confused and vulnerable enough for Obi-Wan's own lightsaber to meet the back of Dooku's palm and sear into it. A loud, pained howl escaped Dooku's mouth, falling to his knees, clutching the fresh burn mark while Obi-Wan, with an effortless wrist flick, cut the Sith's lightsaber in-half in-mid air.

"No..." Dooku whispered, disbelief clear in his eyes and voice. "This... This cannot..."

"I am quite certain it is," Obi-Wan said, voice sounding mild but rough from the strangling. "You've lost, Count."

"Don't even try pulling another trick with lightning," Anakin warned, remembering one of the most painful experiences of his entire life quite vividly before another inhale, exhale sent it away. "Surrender, now."

"I would agree to it if I were you," Chancellor Palpatine spoke up, his voice carrying the same strength and fortitude Anakin had attributed to his unshakable dignity in holding the Republic together. "Remember my offer you so easily dismissed earlier, Count. I give it to you again: surrender and you may come out of this war in better shape than the other Separatist leaders."

Dooku looked at the Chancellor, his eyes seeming not quite able to meet the gaze of his Republic counterpart. For a moment, Obi-Wan and Anakin both tensed, waiting for Dooku to try something else. Another phase of the trap, a trick of the Force, anything to help him slither away. Instead, the old, former Jedi master let out a long, pained sigh. From him, Anakin felt a drop in hostility through the Force. Among other things, such as profound fatigue.

Rising to his full height, Dooku re-arranged his cape and tidied up his ruffled pants and long-sleeved black shirt. Then, he extended his shaky arms forward, his face looking as masterfully aristocratic as it was before.

"Very well, gentlemen, I hereby surrender myself to you."

Obi-Wan and Anakin traded looks. His old master spoke first. "Your surrender is accepted."

Dooku nodded to him, right before Anakin's gloved hand struck him right in the nose. The Count tumbled onto the floor, gasping painfully before falling unconscious but alive.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan's voice reverberated in an almost shout. His old, clenched-jaw scowling scolding look back in full force. "What are you-"

"We have to get him and the Chancellor off the ship," Anakin replied with complete calm. "I'll feel a lot better doing so with him unconscious and helpless rather than awake and capable of scheming."

Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed, hands on both hips. Before he even admitted it to himself or especially to Anakin, somehow, his old apprentice knew he'd agree with it. Very reluctantly.

"All right," He said with a long, suffering breath. Anakin smiled and reached out to tie Dooku's hands together when Obi-Wan's arm stopped him. "But you are responsible for carrying and keeping him alive. Understood?"

A flash of childish indignation crossed Anakin's mind, to tell his master off, that he wasn't a mere padawan anymore. Instead, Anakin let it go with a long, suffering breath, nodding along. "Fair enough."


	5. Chapter 5

"Allow me to get those for you, Chancellor." Obi-Wan smiled at the Republic's leader and reached into the mechanisms of the chair's shackles through the Force. In the instant it took for him to wave a hand, he became intimately familiar with the simple nuts and bolts to its design, prompting them to harmlessly open with a loud clicking sound.

"Yes, yes, thank you, Master Kenobi," Palpatine said, rising on such shaky feet that Obi-Wan offered his arm. "And you, of course, Anakin."

"Any time, sir," Anakin said without looking up, busy binding Dooku's hands together with...something that was not portable shackles.

"... Is that fibercord?" He asked, not quite believing it.

"Uhuh," Anakin looked up, grinning while his hands bound Dooku's. "He won't be waving this away with the Force."

Obi-Wan was sure of that. Even a well-trained Jedi, once bound by fibercord, would find themselves in quite a precarious situation. Nothing short of a lightsaber or blaster bolt could break such a bind, not even the power of Force augmented raw strength. It was an inspired idea yet still somehow too... pedestrian for his audacious former apprentice.

"I'm surprised you haven't tied all his limbs together."

Anakin's grin became a wolfish smile. Obi-Wan felt the urge to point out the pettiness behind the idea but once again, his former student's practicality won out. The fact he secretly found the idea of Dooku put into that position most amusing played no factor at all. Not in the least. Instead, he turned back towards the Chancellor.

"Are you hurt? Can you run?"

"I.." A sheepish smile played at Palpatine's lips. "I haven't run since I was a boy on Naboo. But I will do my part to keep up."

Emphasizing the point by releasing Obi-Wan's arm, the Chancellor took a few unsure, then steady steps forward, moving away from the chair. Anakin had cast Dooku's cloak away to search his person for any other hidden weapons or tools at his disposal, but found none. In no time at all, he'd bound both of the Count's hands and feet behind his back, placing the Sith Lord over his shoulder with absolute ease.

Obi-Wan's expression did not falter. Palpatine, on the other hand, masked his laugher with a convincing-sounding cough. Their brief levity was cut short when a tremor of considerable force - the strongest they'd felt thus far - shook the ship.

"Is there an escape craft for us?" He asked them.

"We can't use our starfighters," Obi-Wan replied. "Not enough room."

"There were plenty of other ships down in the hangar, sir. A five-minute turbolift ride back down will get us to them."

"Assuming we don't run into any trouble with that again." Obi-Wan pointedly reminded him, taking point in their small group with Palpatine in the middle and Anakin at the back. Their escapades simply getting up the spire were the stuff of a HoloNet feature farce, to put it lightly. A repeat, with a civilian and prisoner of war, would be most troublesome indeed.

"We won't know until we try, master."

Obi-Wan did not need the Force to know something would go wrong before they'd even reached the turbolift. Apparently, during their duel with Dooku, it was called someplace else. He tried to call it back from the nearby wall panel, to no avail.

"I'll call Artoo," Anakin said, slipping out his bent looking comlink out. "Artoo? Artoo! I need you to activate elevator three-two-two-four." He shook it. "_Three-two-two-four_, do you hear me?"

"Nothing?"

"No, not since someone stepped on it."

Obi-Wan pointedly avoided the reminder of their numerous turbolift related fiascos. And his part during one of them. And the fact his own comlink was lost somewhere down the shaft, possibly in the same turbolift jumping battle. His astromech, R4, had been dismantled during the flight there. They certainly didn't have enough fibercord to lower themselves down. Briefly, amusingly, right out of Anakin's playbook, Obi-Wan considered the idea of taking the Chancellor over his shoulder and the two of them lifting another down the shaft slowly through the Force. As he stroked his beard, considering their further options, the doors slid open, revealing an operational turbolift pod on the other side.

Anakin's smile could be heard from the back. "I knew he'd come through-"

The turbolift suddenly shot upward and the ship didn't just shake but shifted. Immediately, they all knew the artificial gravity had gone completely awry. No doubt the Republic bombardment had done its job to Grievous' flagship. What was once the floor was angled more to a ninety-degree angle. Obi-Wan's arm immediately grabbed Palpatine's, his other hand taking hold to the right side of the open turbolift door. Anakin ran up and grabbed the left. Before they were left dangling from the new ceiling, both Jedi leaped into the shaft with a burst of Force enhanced strength.

"Goodness..." Palpatine panted, clinging to Obi-Wan's arm fiercely. "Are all your missions so-"

"Unpredictable?" Obi-Wan offered.

"Exciting?" Anakin suggested.

"... Complicated?"

The Jedi shared knowing a glance. "More or less," Obi-Wan answered, taking point once again. "Though the sooner we leave, the less complicated it will get."

In silence, they proceeded down the coning spire on feet. Neither Obi-Wan nor Anakin voiced their concerns openly but both simply knew what they were. If the spire had titled to an angle where people could walk on it, that meant the ship was indisputably plummeting straight down. It also meant the hangar bay was to be a mess by the time they reached it, with dozens of ships flung this way and back in the failing gravity.

The worst of those, quite expectedly, came true. It happened around level 102, a third of the way down the conning spire. There was a sharp tremor again, a resounding boom of gargantuan engines reverberating through the entire hull and finally, another artificial gravity shift. Straight ahead was about to become it's naturally intended straight down. Thinking fast, Obi-Wan spotted a pair of turbo lift doors right at his feet. Wasting not a moment, his lightsaber flew and ignited, illuminating the shaft with bright blue. Slashing the doors control panel open, the device sizzled and burned, revealing multiple wires inside.

He still wasn't fast enough; the gravity lurched vertically, the entire ship repositioning itself back to normal. Before even realizing it, Obi-Wan's hand grabbed hold of a dangling wire from the control panel. Palpatine clung for dear life still, Anakin- who'd fallen last, grabbed onto Obi-Wan's left leg, his own freehand grasping at Dooku's unconscious form at the end of their makeshift rope of bodies. A moment later, the turbolift doors opened, a whole meter above his outstretched, hand. Out of this whole situation, what annoyed Obi-Wan the most was his lightsaber.

In the ridiculous scramble of hanging on for dear life, he'd let go of his lightsaber and watched it fall ever deeper down the shaft, vanishing seemingly into nothingness. The fact Anakin was there to see this particularly stung.

"Master..."

"Now... is not the time... for gloating..."

"It's not about that," Anakin assured him, sounding fairly sincere all the while. Obi-Wan realized what it was too: far, far above them, at the very top of the conning spire, came a gentle, warbling noise soon accompanied by the sounds... of turbolift brakes unlocking. A sudden downdraft came, smelling of burning oil joined by a turbolift swiftly moving straight down.

"Oh..." Obi-Wan said mildly.

"Artoo!" Anakin shouted, hoping the sound reached the comlink attached to his utility belt. "Shut down the elevator!"

"There's no time! We have to fall!"

"Fall?" Palpatine repeated with a shaky laugh. "Master Kenobi, you can't be-"

He was, and so they fell. When in doubt, Obi-Wan always deferred to a strategy which did not fail him thus far: trust in the Force. It provided for them. The ship tremored again and the gravity shifted once more. The shaft turned from a straight downfall into a sliding against its wall. Checked behind him, Obi-Wan saw it would not be enough; the turbolift was coming down far, far faster than any of their attempts to outrun it.

"Artoo!" Anakin grabbed his comlink, at the forefront of their group now. "Open the elevator doors! All of them! Everywhere!"

So they did and the four of them skidded through them, falling on top of one another in a heap, the turbolift blazing right on through the shaft. In a groaning tangle of bodies, they lied there for a moment; Obi-Wan rising first, then Palpatine and finally Anakin. Dooku, remarkably, stayed quite asleep in-spite of three full-grown men crashing on top of him.

"Well," Anakin said, nonchalantly, helping the Chancellor up. "That wasn't so bad."

"...Not so bad...?" Palpatine repeated, his hair disheveled and expression of pure disbelief.

"Well, in comparison to some other instances, this ended quite well," Obi-Wan said mildly, taking point in their group once again until a loud cough from Anakin caught his attention. He turned to his former padawan and immediately disliked the look there. "What?"

"I think it would be better if I took point." He badly attempted not to smile. "I'm still armed, remember?"

Obi-Wan let out a long-suffering sigh and nodded along. Taking over Dooku-carrying duties, he walked over to the back of the group, all the while shaking his head at the idea of never living down this particular blunder. The hoi-broth incident suddenly seemed far more preferable.

* * *

Anakin's lightsaber never left his hand. With a steady march, not too slow or too fast, they walked through the corridor, an intersection on the far end of it. Nothing showed up to cause them any more trouble. Even the gravitational shifts seemed to have stopped, for the time being. It was too easy all of a sudden, and the proximity of the dark side bothered him as well.

He hoped that with Dooku unconscious, unable to consciously draw on the chilling power, the fogged-up currents of the Force would become clearer. Many times, the old masters of the Jedi spoke about a clearer time when the Force was clean- when one could feel its soothing energies flow through you. It was a time before Anakin arrived. In truth, his relationship to the Force before his talk with Obi-Wan outside of Tythe was... distant. He could draw on it, feel it empower him and his wayward emotions empower it. But it wasn't until some things cleared from Anakin's own mind did he realize just what Masters Yoda, Obi-Wan and many more talked about regarding the Force and the dark side's influence on it.

It was as though there was a constant fog in his mind's eye. A rainstorm blasting against the front-view mirror of his speeder. An ion storm threatening to shut down some key part of his starfighters systems. Momentarily, Anakin let himself think about how they should have killed Dooku, to lift this nuisance away. He let it flow out. If there was one advantage to this clearer head, this improved relationship with the Force- it was a feeling of certainty. That he could let go of things and things would... work out. He'd seen the practical application of that when he saved Obi-Wan from a caved-in skull.

Unfortunately, the same instinct didn't save him from banging against a circular ray shield surrounding them upon reaching the intersection. The rest of their party almost crashed into him. It was a transparent-looking, shimmering barrier of pure energy. It was also impossibly difficult to get rid of once you just so happened to get trapped inside it. A fact that didn't stop Anakin from trying to cut out all the same. His lightsaber tip barely touched the barrier before large sparks exploded from contact, the sudden force almost knocking the weapon out of his hands.

"That's not good."

"No, no, not at all," Obi-Wan said, looking around, frowning at the shield. Arms on both hips.

"The dark side," Anakin murmured with a steady breath.

"Indeed. Even with Dooku defeated, our actions are still... awry."

"And the fact they're able to follow us so easily." Anakin aimed his saber to the deck at his feet next. Driving his blade effortlessly through durasteel, there was a brief hope it would work when something stopped it halfway in. Once again, sparks flew and the weapon almost flew out of his hand. "The ceiling's probably reinforced like this too."

He took his comlink out. "Artoo? Artoo! We need your help with a ray shield, were trapped on floor 203!"

There was nothing. Not even static on the other end. Even at its most messed up transmission, there wasn't some sound or noise to let him know it worked. Anakin didn't like this silence one bit.

"Perhaps," Palpatine spoke up, unbothered by being essentially taken captive again from the looks of him. "We should surrender to General Grievous. His forces will most assuredly deliver us to him on the Invisible Hands bridge. At which point..." He glanced at Anakin. "... You will be able to... deal with him as well."

Killing Grievous.

It was a thought Anakin entertained and deeply hoped to realize ever since he and Obi-Wan learned of his debut appearance on Hypori, where he butchered multiple knights and defeated even Council members. The scourge of the republic, murderer of countless worlds, a living nightmare to anyone unfortunate enough to strike him down. Anakin almost let himself imagine it playing out this way: Grievous cut down, Dooku captured, the war over. Three years of blood and death over in a spectacular stroke.

It was a fun thought to entertain but... reality wouldn't accommodate it. Letting the thought out, Anakin immediately knew the folly of it. Trying to fight Grievous would be doable if it was just him and Obi-Wan. But it wasn't. The Chancellor would be in the middle of this skirmish- all it would take is a single blaster bolt deflected wrongly to end the man holding the Republic together. Dooku's death would be a blow too. With him gone, valuable information about the Separatist's plans and the secret Sith Lord would die with him.

From the careful look of consideration on Obi-Wan's face beside him, he knew they were on the same data-pad.

"I'm sorry, sir," Anakin let his voice mean it while his eyes firmly met the Chancellor's. "But we can't risk that. There are too many things that could go wrong. Even for some of my... death-defying reputation."

Obi-Wan smiled. The Chancellor nodded, looking strangely disappointed but didn't voice any objections. "_Patience you must have until the mud settles and the water becomes clear."_

"Exactly." Anakin looked around. "A few droids will show up, they'll have to drop the ray shield to take us into custody. When they do, we'll deal with them."

"Considering our predicament, we have little other choices." Obi-Wan frowned again, stroking his beard. "Though, I do hope they don't send destroyer droids..."

Anakin's thought of reality rarely accommodating one's fantasies was proven quite true when one of the two doors at the intersection slid upward, opening the path to eight destroyer droids. Four in the south corridor, four in the east. Through those same doorways, these eight were backed up by sixteen marching super battle droids. From the west corridor, before someone could make a smart comment about things not possibly getting any worse, they did.

Four final droids joined the escort and they were unlike any Anakin or Obi-Wan had seen in the war thus far. They walked in pairs, perfect synchronicity in a deceptively humanlike way. All four were two meters tall, bodies made of grey durasteel, white cloaks swirling about their shoulders. Their photoreceptors glowed red, mouths shaped into upturned squares. Each one of them carried a staff weapon, strikingly similar to what the Senate guard armed themselves.

They'd seen battle too. Their white cloaks were stained; Anakin had a pretty good idea of what those came from. Two had light burn marks on their left shoulder and right thigh respectively. One of them had a damaged photoreceptor. This one-pointed his staff at them and spoke with a modular voice.

"Jedi, drop your weapons. Immediately."

"Grievous' personal guard," Obi-Wan whispered, eyeing them with mild interest.

"Jedi killers," Anakin muttered back, remembering the reports of survivors who'd run into these. Apparently, they were a match for knights, even masters and personally trained by Grievous himself in the ways of Jedi lightsaber combat. He glanced at the Chancellor over his shoulder. "It seems we'll be doing things your way, sir."

He smiled, in spite of their worsening situation. "This time, my boy. This time."

* * *

**A/N: Well, I had expected (and wanted) to end it this chapter but you know how it is: relatives, Christmas, New Year,... Anyway, I hope this bridging chapter had enough fun insights and interactions to hold you guys over for the time being.**


	6. Chapter 6

Anakin's earlier assessment of the Force was correct, most of the time.

When he was a young padawan in the temple, anxious for his future in the Order at the time, Obi-Wan felt the clear currents of the Force as one might feel a warm, soothing heat on their skin under a bright, shining sun. The sensation was always a welcome one, always putting him at peace. Even during the long nights, he feared being sent in the Jedi Service Corps. It was a clearer time, a simpler time, the last throes of an age of peace coming to an end in the corporeal and incorporeal worlds. Obi-Wan would have taken it less for granted had he known how very complicated matters would become in two short decades.

The dark side cast a blanket over the Force. The same way fog, storm clouds or over pollution blotted out a planet's sun. It left many of the older Jedi troubled and worse still, several generations who'd never experienced the sensation. Obi-Wan found this one of the most profound losses in these trying times. However, even the thickest of fogs or storm clouds occasionally relent, allowing a small ray of sunlight to burst through. The Force was no different.

Obi-Wan instinctively felt the sensation again as he, Anakin, Artoo, and the Supreme Chancellor were led toward the _Invisible Hand's_ bridge. Feeling out through the Force, he felt everything and everyone. He sensed Anakin, strong and calm in the Force, and slightly surprised by the similar sensation now passing over him as well. He sensed Palpatine, a firm rock in-spite of their situation. He sensed the multitudes of Neimodians on the bridge, anxious, worried and afraid for their safety, for the integrity of the perpetually tremoring ship.

Lastly, he sensed hatred. Raw, limitless and insatiable hatred directed at himself and Anakin. This hatred proved Grievous was not a droid, as some superstitions among the Republic and even Jedi claimed. Only mostly one. What little there was left of this feared and hated being once was, was masked by a body of white armorplast and durasteel. His body a twisted perversion of a human skeleton combined with, what Obi-Wan assumed, were features of his native species. Six fingers on both hands, clawed feet large enough to clash or crush someone's skull. A black cape with a collection of lightsabers arranged inside. Lastly, his skull face, revealing only two, yellow slitted eyes.

Even hunched over, General Grievous was an impressive display of mechanical malignancy given form. Obi-Wan and Anakin both did not feel so much as a quiver of fear at his approach, merely standing their ground as though he were no threat at all. The magnaguard with the damaged photoreceptor stepped forward, handing Grievous their lightsabers. Even Obi-Wan's. No doubt the general sent one of the bodyguards after it in the shaft.

In each hand, the leader of the Separatist army appraised his new trophies, oblivious to the turbolaser fire outside of his ship steadily losing all control. Obi-Wan sensed a flicker of something one might mistake for joy during this brief process.

"The lightsabers of Generals Kenobi and Skywalker..." He drawled out, in a deep, accented and modulated voice. "Fine additions to my new collection. Along with the honor of your deaths."

"No one needs to die here today," Obi-Wan said mildly. "Simply surrender and no harm shall come to you."

With menacing clanks of his clawed feet against the durasteel deck, Grievous approached, towering over him. "So confident in your victory, eh General?"

"Calm," Obi-Wan corrected, seeing his own reflection in those yellow, hateful eyes. His ears pricking up on the electronic growl in what passed as Grievous' throat. "I meant what I said: surrender and we can end all violence immediately."

"He's telling the truth, General," Anakin spoke up, sounding as calm as he felt as well. "I think we'd all like this war to end. Might as well start now."

"Anakin Skywalker," Grievous practically hissed out, clawing his way over to him. "The Hero With No Fear, proposing a peaceful solution? I was lead to believe Kenobi was the negotiator here."

Anakin smiled, face inches from Grievous'. "We switch roles. It keeps things interesting."

Obi-Wan sensed Grievous' temper flare, durasteel fingers gripping tightly on both of the blades. What he did not sense was an immediate danger. Anger was replaced by confusion and then greater anger when the General spotted one of his magnaguards situated in the back. Holding a still unconscious Count Dooku by the fibercord between in his free hand. Dangling off the ground as though he were a life-sized children's party toy.

Another electronic growl graced Obi-Wan's ears. "What is the meaning of this?! Why is Count Dooku still tied up?!"

He spun around to a nearby Neimoidian, the nearest and only one on the bridge not at one of the multitudes of control consoles. The usual green complexion of his species was now bright pink. There was an undercurrent of fear present in all of the other, living, Separatist members of the bridge. But not of the Republic or even Jedi but of Grievous. With loud, commanding steps, cape flowing behind him, Grievous approached the lone, standing Neimoidian who pressed his data firmly against his chest, as though it would somehow protect him.

"I told you to rescue the Count!"

"Y-You did, General..." He stammered out, lips quivering. "B-But you never told me to-"

A loud crunching noise silenced the Neimoidian, forever. With a speed few could dare to defend against, much less follow, Grievous' fist did not strike so much as mutilate the head. What was left of the crewmate fell with a loud thud. Grievous growled, staring at his blood-stained hand.

"Disgusting creatures, Neimoidians..."

It was all the distraction they could have hoped for.

"Artoo!" Anakin commanded, pushing himself and Palpatine down. Obi-Wan did the same and did not take his eyes off Grievous even as Artoo unleashed every bit of custom equipment his old padawan had built into him. Sparks, noise, bursts of electricity and most usefully of all, a small custom-made flame thrower burst out into a circle as the small astromech droid took flight. A flamethrower strong enough to burn through durasteel and did so, engulfing several of the super battle droids in their immediate vicinity.

While Grievous still turned, shock and confusion pulsating out of him through the Force, the Jedi went to work. Anakin thrust both palms to their immediate back, blasting super battle droids, magnaguard and most importantly, droidekas to the ground. Obi-Wan did the same at the front, launching Separatist forces to the lower console portion of the bridge. His primary target, however, was Grievous.

He tried to claw his feet into the durasteel but a precious few moments too late. Grievous growled as he flew into a nearby wall, both lightsabers falling from his grasp. Their owners summoned them back in the time it took for their adversaries to make their move. Igniting in mid-air, the bright blue blades swung once, cutting their creator's shackles. Standing tall, firm and back to back, Obi-Wan and Anakin looked at the droids surrounding them. The former, very pointedly, looking at Grievous kneeling on the floor.

"My offer of surrender still stands."

Grievous braced himself on a nearby console moments before ripping it out of the floor and hurling it at both Jedi. The pair split, Obi-Wan moving to the console portion while Anakin stayed firmly close to block the bridge door.

"Kill them!" He screamed. "Kill them all!"

* * *

The barrage of blaster fire was brief and completely useless, as Grievous expected it would be. Especially with the droidekas uselessly fumbling at the entrance, twisting on their sides or backs. Without a firm standing position, they could not properly attack, activate their shields or roll, all their lethality was rendered non-existent. Grievous had told that cur Gunray to install a propulsion system or magnetization feature on their feet to prevent a simple Jedi trick from remaining effective. He would have words with him again if he should survive this battle.

Something which he found increasingly unlikely as he hung back and observed the Jedi's techniques. At first, he thought to study them, letting the mechanical processes of his artificially enhanced brain determine where and how they struck so as to gain an advantage over them in the inevitable clash to come. Yet, these two Jedi... They unnerved him.

At one point, Skywalker deflected a blaster bolt from a super battle droid in such a way it ricochet several times across the bridge and decapitated an ordinary battle droid behind Kenobi. Kenobi himself returned the favor for Skywalker mere moments later. More disturbing was the fact they executed this perfectly while battling two of his trained magnaguards at the same time. Kenobi was an impenetrable wall, swinging his lightsaber this way and that, never seeming to move more than he needed to and almost predicting their attacks. It was ease rivaling Count Dooku's own.

Skywalker was more dispassionately aggressive, launching immediate counter attacks to buy himself room and time while he wilted the remaining blaster firing droids down. Already, Grievous could see the minor nicks and slashes he'd left on IG-102 and 104. Minor wounds which would inevitable allow him to carve them to pieces. Most disturbing of all was how... calm Skywalker seemed while doing this. His face relaxed even as his blade carved a smoking swath through durasteel.

Palpatine, that sniveling coward, had retreated somewhere else, possibly under one of the consoles. Grievous momentarily considered going after him, to try and salvage this deteriorating situation. Perhaps if Count Dooku were awake and armed himself they could turn the tide in their favor. Instead, the old Sith lord laid on the ground, behind IG-104, amidst a burnt, sliced pile of worthless battle droids.

Well, if he could not capture Palpatine, he would not allow himself or the Count to suffer that fate.

Rising to full height, Grievous unhooked two lightsabers from his cape and went for Skywalker, in the midst of cutting IG-102 at the waist then the head. His body turned toward IG-104, his back turned towards Grievous. For a moment, the Separatist droid general almost entertained the notion that they could reverse their situation. With Skywalker, even Kenobi would give up or become overwhelmed.

Instead of cutting the young Jedi's head off, however, Grievous' blades were met by Skywalker's own. Without even turning around, his lightsaber positioned behind his back in a single hand, Skywalker kicked IG-102's discarded staff into the air, grabbed it with his free hand and rammed it into 104's already damaged photoreceptor.

Grievous growled and went for another strike. Skywalker, almost limp, fell to the ground as Grievous' blades carved his own bodyguard in half. Knowing his own feet would soon suffer the same fate, Grievous leaped, avoiding the Jedi's blade swing and landed with his back turned towards the exit. Skywalker was on his feet in an instant, a Djem So heavy guard above his head.

"Your reputation is well earned, Skywalker."

"And yours so far isn't."

Growling at the impudent child in-front of him, Grievous spun both his wrists at three hundred and sixty-degree circles at his sides. The blades sizzled and carved through the deck with his slow, steady approach. Skywalker did not so much as flinch. Not even when Grievous' assault began, well over a dozen lightsaber blows a second did he move a single step back. The air immediately around them transformed into a twisting, blinding storm of blue and green energy. Both of them an onslaught onto themselves. For every blow Grievous sent, Skywalker blocked and immediately returned with equal or greater force. One could not tire and the other seemingly wouldn't either.

They could have fought like this forever, Grievous realized. His curiosity was almost as such to test the limits of the Hero With No Fear's limits. However, that would simply not do. Not here or now. Unclipping his hands, transforming two into four, he intentionally let it appear as though he was reaching for extra blades out of his cape. Skywalker most definitely would have heard of that particular picture from his Jedi peers and superiors.

Instead, however, Grievous' left-foot shot behind him, where the astromech droid was busy setting fire to the still functioning upper body of IG-104 and grabbed it firmly around its head. It whined and screeched so annoyingly, it was all Grievous could do to not crash it to pieces right then and there. He was almost tempted to, Skywalker seemed fond of the worthless little trash compactor from his turbolift discussion with Kenobi.

"Artoo!" Skywalker shouted, his concentration broken just enough for Grievous to fling the worthless little trash bin into his chest. Grunting, the Jedi fell, back smashing into a nearby console. Grievous fought the urge to try and carve him to pieces. Instead, he spun around, rushing for the door. With the leftmost lower arm, he grabbed the fibercord tying Dooku's limbs behind his back and slashed at the door's control panel.

Skywalker was already on his feet, rushing for the door when it slammed into his face. Cackling, Grievous ran on, toward one of the multitudes of escape pods ready with pre-programmed micro jumps to remove them from Coruscant. Back into the Outer Rim, where they could regroup and plan their revenge.

* * *

Anakin banged against the door, feeling Dooku's unconscious signature in the Force slip further and further away. After everything they'd done, after all the trouble they'd gone through, Dooku and Grievous both were going to escape. Anakin couldn't help it then, the anger and frustration of old was coming back out. Fear for what they would do, what they could do more, it only made things worse. There was a time, very recently, these feelings kept pushing him along, kept him calm and focused. Not anymore. He wanted them gone.

The chill of the dark side he could intimately feel, it was seeping into Anakin. The suffocating, black fog around the Force creeping into his lugs, chilling his bones. Bracing himself against the door, he shook his head and breathed. Long and hard, he did so. Searching for the calming, warmth of the Force from just a few moments ago. Eventually, in this standing, meditative position, he did so. He let it flow in, out and back into him again. The chill receding, his throat able to breathe again.

Anakin let all those negative, crippling emotions vanish into the Force. They were a distraction, a weight he'd carried on his shoulders since he was a boy. This was not the time or place to let them do so again.

"...Anakin? Anakin?" He turned around, back held straight to see the Chancellor Palpatine there. A look of fatherly concern on his face. "Are you all right, my boy?"

Artoo was at his side next, letting out a concerned whoop.

"Actually..." He cast another look at the door, feeling the last of Dooku's signature slip far and far away. When he looked back at Palpatine, the fact didn't bother him much at all anymore. "Yes, I am."

"Are you cer-" Anakin grabbed him by the shoulders, helping keep the Chancellors balance when the most violent tremor so shook the_ Invisible Hand_. This one didn't stop for a moment. Instead, it intensified. Anakin thought they'd suffer another gravity shift but the truth turned out far worse. Somewhere, in the spire connecting the bridge to the ships, the main hull began to groan, like a man trapped inside a very, very deep hole. Durasteel putting out a sound like that could only mean one thing: it was bending, if it bent far enough it would snap...

With another calming breath, Anakin led the Chancellor and Artoo back to the pilot's console, avoiding the scraps of dismembered battle droids all over the place. Obi-Wan was already there, just finished taking out his two magnaguards, hands pressed against the long console table where alarms and alerts of all kinds rang through the bridge.

"The ship, it's going to-"

"I know! I heard it too!"

The groaning got louder, so did the alarms. A second later, they had to hold on for dear life onto vacant pilot chairs to not get tossed up and down the whole bridge. Outside the frontal view, the battle drifted away from them. Or rather, they drifted away from it... And exactly half of the _Invisible Hand_.

"The escape pods..."

"They're gone! Grievous must've told them all to launch remotely from his armor somehow," Anakin shook his head, immediately sitting himself down at the main pilot's seat. Already, he saw another problem with this nascent idea: he couldn't speak Neimoidian and neither could Obi-Wan. From the view screen, Coruscant came into view, growing larger with each passing moment, alongside the fire burning on the bridge's view corners.

"You two better sit down and buckle up."

They did so, Obi-Wan remaining perfectly calm as always in the Force. Palpatine seemed frazzled by this development, clinging to his armchairs enough for his knuckles to whiten. Not that Anakin could blame the man. Even for a Jedi, this situation would be... Difficult.

"Can you land it?" Obi-Wan shouted over the combined noise of alerts and ship rumbling. Anakin didn't immediately answer. Instead... He breathed. Even in this chaos, in this situation of almost certain death, the Force did not falter. Stretching out with his feelings, he felt the same coming from Obi-Wan, Palpatine's worry, he even felt Artoo beeping in a frenzy. He let his hands hover above the controls whose language he could not understand at all, whose systems were designed for non-human fingers, controls for a ship never designed to land at all and half of which was left floating in space.

Wordlessly, he answered Obi-Wan with a glance. His master understood immediately. Through the two of them as vessels, through their experiences in flight and the steady, purposeful movements of their hands, the Force took action. Almost gliding across the controls, the Jedi activated the only systems left that could make the impossible just very difficult. Atmospheric drag fins deployed, in deliberate, careful cycles, slowing down the ship's decent without getting burned off.

The ship rumbles like the inside of a gargantuan, angry beast against this gradual slowing down as it entered the upper atmosphere. When the drag fins are of no more use, Anakin and Obi-Wan glide to other controls, without blinking or even looking at them, their eyes transfixed to the growing view of Coruscant before them. Exterior hatches open and close and open again, in a rhythmic, musical tact a trained entertainer group could dance to.

Even when Coruscant was right under them, when the ship shook violently, when Artoo and Palpatine both shrieked in growing fear, the Jedi remained the calm eyes of the storm. They both knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that even this clouded Force would not let them down.

* * *

**A/N: Thus ends the Battle for Coruscant arc! Next time, we head into the immediate aftermath with a few new POV characters and more butterflies from the more centered Anakin Skywalker. This chapter, along with most of my fanfics, was proofread by my editor, Kagari. **


	7. Chapter 7

The Works.

Coruscant's vast, industrial area stretched out for kilometers, as far as one could see, reaching even the Senate District itself. Hundreds of thousands of factory chimneys continued to release plumes of toxic smoke into the air. One could even hear the rumble of whirring machinery in the deep, seemingly bottomless canyons connecting the equally vast stretches of permacrete and durasteel structures. Even above the roar of gunships and firefighter vessels. Someone who'd never been to Coruscant before or studied the history of this section would assume a veritable cornucopia of production was being done.

It couldn't be further from the truth. The Works were built centuries ago, by a wide range of companies looking to make Coruscant a production center onto itself. A force that could rival other worlds and make the heart of the Republic a self-sustaining entity. It also remained one of its most costly efforts, even today. All for nothing. This vast stretch of industrialized land, this promise of a future amounted to nothing but kilometers of wasted space, of unnecessary pollution. The very same companies responsible for The Works abandoned it for cheaper, off-world labor and facilities.

One of these was LiMerge Power, the infamous corporation responsible for turning the planet Tythe into a dead world. The same planet where Kenobi and Skywalker tracked Dooku before their arrival back to Coruscant. It also housed an abandoned building where the same Sith Lord met in secret with his master, Darth Sidious. Right in the heart of the Republic, under the nose of the Jedi Order itself.

Not for the first or even the twentieth time, Mace's thoughts went back to these facts, stirring unwelcome uncertainty in him as he flew on the gunship towards his destination. They'd started their search for Sidious in this area, working through the vast, dark tunnels underneath, laboriously finding their way through those forgotten places until their investigation halted at Republica 500. The place where the elite of Coruscant lived, senators, the upper class, Chancellor Palpatine. Just when it seemed they might discover Sidious, however, Grievous attacked. Palpatine was kidnapped and in this chaos, the search team left behind was butchered.

The trail had gone cold and it bothered Mace to no end.

As the gunship crossed through these seemingly endless stretches of factories, several plumes of smoke rose higher than the rest. Squinting off into the distance, through the open troop hatch, Mace spotted the source: half of the _Invisible Hand_ landed on a kilometer-long stretch of permacrete landing zone intended once for countless supply vessels to fly to and from The Works. It was an absurd sight, half of a vessel surviving entry on a planet with most of its systems annihilated, a vessel never intended to land even in its pristine condition.

Mace shook his head, only Skywalker could have pulled it off. For all the faults he found in the supposed Chosen One, he could not deny his ability to make what was impossible seem just difficult. It was little wonder he remained one of the only popular Jedi with the ordinary folk, alongside Obi-Wan.

Dozens of smaller, fire suppressing vessels buzzed around the crashed Separatist ship, as fleas did to a corpse. Windu told the pilot to land at the platform where an escape slide stuck out an escape pod hole. From this slide, came Obi-Wan, Skywalker, Palpatine and a frazzled R2 unit who opted to fly his way down.

Mace intended to swiftly reach them, to see if they were all right. Yet, even before his feet even touched the ground, he sensed a strange shift in the Force, coming from the assembled group. The feeling intensified as he approached them, slower than he wanted to. This shift, this sensation he realized, was coming from... Skywalker. Hiding his surprise and curiosity, Mace reached the group.

"Chancellor," Mace said. "Are you all right? My gunship is fully equipped with field surgeons-"

"Oh, no, no," He shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "Thank you, Master Windu, but I am quite alright. Thanks to these fine Jedi, here."

"I'm quite well, too. Though, my throat does feel a bit sore from Dooku..."

"Dooku?" Mace took a single, hopeful step forward. "He was on the ship as well?"

"He was, Master," Anakin replied and Mace once again fought to keep his curiosity in check. "Obi-Wan and I were able to... Briefly capture him. But we ourselves were caught later, in the chaos... Grievous and Dooku both managed to escape from me."

Then, Skywalker bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Master. Truly."

Mace tried not to look too surprised. Not by the fact he and Obi-Wan managed to defeat Dooku, their prowess in lightsaber combat was known well amongst the Jedi Council, as partners or individuals. Not even by the fact Skywalker, Anakin, was apologizing but the way he did it. The Council had a... Rough start with him since their first encounter. Over the years, his audacity, his proclivity to break from rules and orders were only surpassed by his ability to attain incredible results, to inspire men in battle and remain one of the brightest stars of the Jedi Order. More times than he could count, Mace heard the words "I'm sorry" from him and the vast majority of the time, they were said out of mandatory courtesy, rarely with genuine remorse.

The fact Anakin kept himself closed off from them, afraid of their insights ever since this first meeting was another issue. Master Yoda correctly felt what they all did: deep-seated fear in the boy, now a young man. There was a darkness there, one Mace recognized in himself all too well. Where he centered himself through intense self-control, through the creation and perfection of Vaapad, Skywalker always seemed to skirt the line too close. Always coasting along from one battle to another, running away instead of meeting his fears. Though he supported Anakin being accepted into the order, even vouched for him ascending to knighthood, Mace's doubts were never truly put to rest.

Now? Anakin was intentionally transparent to Mace's perceptions of him through the Force, proving the legitimacy of his remorse. Even the shatterpoints, the flaws existing in all things only certain Force users could properly perceive, which Anakin also tried to hide were gone. It was as if the young man's fear was turned off, as one would a light switch.

"Many times, I've thought of my own failure of letting Dooku escape on Geonosis," Mace said, surprising himself almost as much as the group. "It's not a... pleasant feeling."

Skywalker's surprise was almost palpable through the Force, though he did a good job of not showing it. Instead, he inclined his head again. "Any advice for it?"

"Meditation or sparring."

There was an odd smile on Skywalker's face. Devoid of the usual cockiness that'd become his distinguishing feature in and out of the order. "Feels like I was doing a lot of that just now."

Mace took the statement with a nod, momentarily glancing at Obi-Wan who only returned a knowing smile. "Come, I've already contacted the Senate and HoloNet, you'll be making a statement within the hour, Chancellor."

"Most certainly," Palpatine, who'd been looking at the conversation between Mace and Anakin with a strange look in his eye smiled, taking point in their group. "The Republic must know I am well. I cannot imagine the amount of terror that ghastly creature Grievous has incited in the innocents of Coruscant."

"We still don't have even a preliminary estimate of civilian casualties," Mace grimly revealed. "No move was made to attack the Senate or the Temple, however."

"Terror, pure and simple," Palpatine grimaced. "So long as that vile creature is alive, there can be no hope for peace!"

Mace heard this many, many times as of late. The Chancellor, who once advocated for alternative solutions before and in the early days of the Clone Wars, had become more and more noticeably... militant. Attempts at possible peace negotiations were forestalled or outright denied. Palpatine wanted the Separatists defeated, to ensure the legitimacy of the Republic and illegitimacy of their enemies. Being kidnapped during an attack at the very heart of the Republic would no doubt intensify his stance. His and of his supporters whose numbers grew to worrying heights in the Senate...

"Him and Dooku," Mace said without letting any of these thoughts on Palpatine and his direction slip out. "The latter especially. Grievous is the military commander but Dooku? He's the lynchpin of the Confederacy. His capture or death would mean the CIS collapse in a matter of weeks. Possibly even days."

Once again, there was a pang of remorse from Skywalker, one he let out into the Force with a simple breath. Mace approved of this.

"There is more to it, as well," Obi-Wan spoke up again. "When we'd captured Dooku, the dark side did not falter at all. If anything, its strength intensified. I fear even with the Count in our custody or dead, we would still be left with the true Sith Lord to contend with."

"The hidden Sith Lord will reveal himself," Mace replied, tone imperceptibly frosting. Just enough to forestall any further questions about Sidious from him or Anakin in-front of Palpatine. The less the Supreme Chancellor knew about this investigation, the better. "In the meantime, we must focus on winning the war right in front of us. We must make the capture or deaths of Grievous and Dooku our main objectives. They've been dealt a heavy military blow today and we must press our advantage."

They thankfully took the hint. A Jedi shuttled had landed next to the gunship in the meantime. Before entering it, Palpatine's hand laid itself on Mace's shoulder. The warm, friendly smile that had won him so many friends was there, present in-spite of the day's madness.

"I have no doubt the Jedi Order will see this through to the end, Master Windu. I have the utmost faith in your abilities."

"We are honored to serve the Republic and the Senate, sir," He placed just the smallest amount of emphasis on the words Republic and Senate. If Palpatine noticed, he didn't show it, outwardly or through Mace's own perceptions of him through the Force. He stayed the same as he ever was: a shatterpoint of the Republic itself, caught in a faultline with Anakin and Obi-Wan both. A faultline of great significance. How significant he could not say, the dark side, as always, clouded true insight into the streams of the Force. Surrounding them all in its deepening shadow, even Palpatine.

"And I am certain you shall continue to do so," Palpatine replied, seeming to not notice the emphasis. Instead, he entered and the three assembled Jedi followed him inside. The ten-minute flight took them away from The Works, the city underneath them shifting from factories to apartment buildings and administration towers. No one spoke. Palpatine scrutinized a datapad feeding him information on the attack, Obi-Wan mildly sat next to Mace and observed the city. Anakin scrutinized it.

Chin rested under the knuckles of his mechanical arm, Anakin unintentionally dropped his mental shields. Mace felt the Jedi Knight's feelings because of this. Many Jedi shared them. The dark side hung over this place, poisoning it more than ten thousand factory chimneys ever could. The work of Sidious, to undermine the Jedi. This fog was intensified by the undercurrents of fear and anxiety present on the planet long before a battle droid touched down.

In the name of greater security, civil liberties were trampled. Clone forces routinely captured, sometimes right off the street, anyone deemed a potential threat. Almost exclusively they were non-humans. This was part of tightening security on Coruscant, to ensure the safety and stability of Coruscant. To the Jedi, it was only fuel adding to the fire of discontent. A fire that would certainly blaze hotter after today, which will no doubt lead to more powers afforded to Palpatine.

Skywalker did not perceive the politics at play. From the emotions Mace fleetingly detected before he sent them off into the Force, he concentrated on the uneasy undercurrents building just under the surface. Master Yoda routinely felt these as well yet Anakin seemed surprised by this. Almost shocked by his own ability to perceive the universe around him in spite of his superior connection to the Force. It was as though he'd spent all this time halfway blind. With fleeting amusement, Mace wondered how Skywalker would take to detecting shatterpoints if this was a revelation for him. Still, the fact he continued to let go of these ruminations was a commendable thing.

The Senate dome eventually grew from a large building off in the distance to covering their entire view. On the Chancellor's private landing platform, there was already a welcoming contingent of over thirty Senators waiting. Mace noted them all as consistent Palpatine supporters, most of them anyway. Obi-Wan looked at the group with a displeased squint. Ever distrustful of politicians, that at least had not changed in his months away. What took Mace by surprise again, was a very similar look in Anakin's eye as the shuttle door flung open and Palpatine stepped out.

The Supreme Chancellor met them with warm enthusiasm, shaking hands, returning greetings, fully in his element. Obi-Wan made no move to leave his seat, Anakin hesitated to get up, his mental shields brought back up. Not that Mace needed the Force to notice the slight curl of his lip. He looked to his former master and gestured towards the exit to their right.

"After you."

"Me? Oh no, no, I've not the stomach for... politicians."

"Honestly?" Anakin glanced at the assembled group, still pre-occupied with Palpatine. "I don't think I do either today..."

"Really? I thought you enjoyed being the poster man."

"Looks like its still a day for changes," There was a knowing look shared between them. A slight clue as to the origin of this new Skywalker. Mace let them talk as though he wasn't present. "But, I suppose if you want me to take all the credit again, I won't deny your request."

"Please do, I'll take care of the report to the Council in your stead."

Anakin almost smiled then, another knowing look exchanged between them. Rising from his seat, he took another steadying breath and seemed to calm down. "I guess we're even for Cato Neimoidia now."

"Not in the least, that was your fault in the first place."

"Details, details." He laughed, bowing respectfully to both of them and left for the crowd with the astromech droid. Immediately, they were on him, eager to speak to The Hero With No Fear. Once the shuttle hatch closed and the vessel flew to the Jedi Temple. Obi-Wan stared at the diminishing scene of Skywalker amidst the Senators beneath them until it faded from view.

"He's changed," Mace broke the silence. "For the better, it appears."

"That he has, quite remarkably too," Obi-Wan turned to his right and smiled. "You should have seen him on the _Invisible Hand. _His connection to the Force has improved a great deal."

"It's not just that, he's calmed down, matured, whats brought about this change, Obi-Wan?"

"I suspect you will know in short order," Obi-Wan's smile faltered, his tone sobering. "Possibly as soon as tomorrow."

Mace accepted this with a nod, eager to hear what transpired out in the Outer Rim. "His relationship with Palpatine has changed too."

"Yes," He leaned back into the seat, stroking his beard. "Nary a hint of praise toward him specifically. The Chancellor has never been one to shy away from painting Anakin in the best light possible. Still, Palpatine has never found himself in a situation such as this. Perhaps the day's events have shaken him more than he lets on?"

That was so like Obi-Wan: always looking to the positive side of the story. It was something Mace found admirable about him. It was a luxury he couldn't afford. When one could see all the fatal flaws in objects, people, ideologies,... It was hard not to linger on them and assume the worst. The Clone Wars had done their best to make it all the more difficult.

"Perhaps," Mace answered neutrally. "Though, I suspect Palpatine is too focused on considering how best to use this to his advantage."

"His advantage?"

"The man loves power, Obi-Wan," Mace's voice turned grim. "If he loves anything else, I've not encountered it yet. With every turn of this war, Palpatine amasses more power exclusively for himself. The Senate goes along with him, how could they not? He's all but deified himself in their eyes and in those of the Republic."

Obi-Wan frowned. "I thought you were an admirer of his?"

"For a time? Certainly. But you haven't been here, Obi-Wan, you haven't witnessed the squabbling, the intensifying corruption, all the while Palpatine navigates through it all with expert ease. Always the last man standing, always the one to profit the most..."

Outside the window, they both saw the smoking buildings of Coruscant. Towers blasted apart or torn down outright. Buildings with living beings who'd joined the numerous innocents, clones, and Jedi lost in the long bloody war.

"This is why you didn't want us discussing Sidious in front of him earlier," Obi-Wan broke the silence this time. "What's happened on that front."

Mace leaned forward, exhaling through his nose, running a hand over his bald head. "We were on his trail, Obi-Wan. We tracked Dooku's vessel from the LiMerge building in the Works. We scurried through those endless, dark tunnels for hours... The trail of Sidious ended at 500 Republica."

"Where Palpatine's inner circle resides," Obi-Wan concluded with a long, suffering sigh. "Is there any hope of performing a questioning?"

"None," Mace answered with grim finality. "Palpatine will never allow it. Oh, he supports our efforts... To a point but I suspect he does not believe in the resurgence of the Sith."

This got a more overreaction at Obi-Wan who stared at Mace with utter disbelief. "Not believe the existence of the Sith? How can that-"

"The only actual evidence that we're dealing with Sith and not merely some group of dark siders comes from Dooku. Who's not here for us to question."

"And the Zabrak who killed Qui-Gon is dead..."

"All his information dead with him."

"But surely, Palpatine has no authority to interfere in a Jedi investigation? Could we not simply make our own inquiries in spite of his possible objections?"

"I cannot say," Mace shook his head. "Palpatine's authority has become so far-reaching, so absolute, I cannot tell you with any certainty what he is and isn't allowed to do anymore. Though he doesn't show it, I believe he's come to doubt us as we doubt him."

Obi-Wan fell into silence, staring at the shape of the Jedi Temple getting closer. "Anakin can help us in this regard. His friendship with Palpatine is strong, if there is any Jedi in the order he still trusts, it would be him."

"Skywalker cannot know about this."

"I... Beg your pardon?" Obi-Wan stared in disbelief again.

"Only I and Master Yoda know of these strained relations. I've told you this because you've proven yourself an insightful, wise Jedi whose skills I believe will be of great use to us in these coming days. Skywalker, however, is another matter. His friendship with Palpatine is precisely why he is to stay in the dark."

"And what other decisions have you and Master Yoda made? Without the rest of the Council?"

Mace raised an eyebrow at the undercurrent behind Obi-Wan's words. He didn't expect to hear it from him. Obi-Wan had always deferred to Mace's and Master Yoda's decisions. Did something change in Obi-Wan as well? Something Mace did not detect from his over fascination in the new Skywalker? Was this a mistake that could not be undone? For all of his deference though, Obi-Wan was also impossibly tenacious when he wanted to be. Possibly more so than any other Jedi in the entire order. If Mace didn't tell him, he would find out from Yoda. There was nothing for it: the sabacc cards were laid on the table, there was no taking them back now.

"We may have to move against Palpatine."

"Move against?" Obi-Wan repeated, aghast.

"The dark side surrounds us, Obi-Wan," He stated with a slight heat in his words. "And it particularly surrounds the Chancellor. For all we know, Palpatine could be under the control of this Sidious. Perhaps even a willing ally of his. What do you think will happen when we win the war and he has to let go of his emergency powers? Do you truly believe Palpatine will let this power go back to the Senate?"

"If Palpatine is connected to this Sidious, we will do what we must to protect and save the Republic," Obi-Wan replied in a measured tone. "But these secret dealings, these schemes concocted in the dark are not what will bring us closer to a solution. Believe me, Mace, secrets kept between Jedi do nothing but foster distrust and ill perceptions of one another. They are a weight which will crush you, sooner or later."

Once more, Obi-Wan's refusal to abide by their choice surprised Mace. It was as though the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn had taken hold of his old apprentice from the netherworld of the Force. His suspicion from moments ago was confirmed: something happened out there with Skywalker and neither one emerged from it as they were before. Mace said nothing, looking away and shaking his head. An all too familiar frustration crept it, fouling his mood even more. Could he not even find unity within the Jedi Order?

"Mace," Obi-Wan's hand rested on his left shoulder. "You asked me earlier what helped center Anakin: it was honesty, plain and simple. He carried tremendous weights born from secrets. You've already seen the incredible difference born from simply lifting these burdens off his chest. Do you truly not feel the same after doing the same with me?"

Mace considered the answer, silently and intently. Looking past the dark thoughts plaguing him these past few months, past his frustrations with the disobedience of Obi-Wan and past his fears for the Republic's very survival the answer was surprisingly... Yes. Though the situation tangibly remained as precarious as ever, Mace found himself... Not at peace but more at ease. As though something bothering him, something he wasn't even properly aware of until that moment, vanished. He felt foolish for not recognizing it sooner.

Looking back to Obi-Wan, Windu bowed his head, in acceptance of Obi-Wan's wisdom and admission of his own mistakes. "You've spoken wisely, Obi-Wan. Though it wasn't what I wanted to hear... I think its something I sorely needed."

"Any time, my friend, any time."

* * *

**A/N: I was planning to do more Anakin and Sidious stuff here but as it went along, I wanted to sort out the convo between the Jedi Council members here and save the aforementioned material for next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

_This must be what it's like for a droid to have Jawas scurrying all over him..._

Anakin kept his "Poster Man" face on at all times. Smiling and confident, he shook every hand and returned every greeting from the dozens of Senators surrounding him. The Supreme Chancellor had gone ahead to prepare for his speech, leaving Anakin alone in the thick of things. Their... enthusiasm for him was almost as great as for the Supreme Chancellor. There was a time Anakin welcomed their attention, reveled in it even. Every time he was brought before the Senate, standing in the heart of the ruling body of the Republic itself and spoke about their latest victories, every applause was sweeter than the last. Every praise from either Palpatine or some other representative sheer elation. Particularly if he felt slighted by the Jedi Council for anything which seemed important at the time.

It was frightening how even this changed so quickly.

Before he even saw the private landing platform, Anakin felt something nauseating from there during his rummage through the Force. Beyond the dark side seeping into almost everything, the terror almost palpable from the citizens below, Anakin felt the true feelings of the Senators. What he once thought was genuine joy served only to mask greed and sycophancy. These individuals who surrounded him weren't happy he saved the innocents of Coruscant, as they repeated over again. They weren't overjoyed at the chance to express genuine gratitude and admiration, they were happy at the chance to suck up to him. To bask in his popularity and use it to bolster their own.

Most of them, anyway. In this group he desperately wanted to get away from, to see the Senator who actually held his interest hiding away behind a pillar nearby, there was one welcome face.

"Master Skywalker."

Anakin's smile became far less strained at the sound of the man's voice. It belonged to Bail Organa, Senator of Alderaan. At 48 years old, the representative of the peaceful world didn't look a day over 30. He was taller than Anakin and in-spite of his profession, bolstered a strong frame that would fit a soldier. Amid this rabble, Bail Organa was a different breed entirely: a politician of honesty and integrity. Many times he'd used the man, alongside Padmé and the Supreme Chancellor as examples of what politicians could and should be whenever he argued with Obi-Wan on the subject. Before he even expressed it, without even peering through the Force, Anakin knew this man's gratitude was genuine.

Organa smiled, stretching out his hand. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise sir." He meant it too and made sure Senator Organa stayed by his side as they walked closer to the Senate building's entrance.

"You have my most sincere thanks, you and all of the Jedi. Without you, I dread to think what would've become of Coruscant."

Anakin bowed his head in acceptance of this praise. "Your thanks is appreciated, Senator but I fear somewhat... Misplaced. Dooku and Grievous both escaped me. The war could have ended today."

"And so the fighting will continue," Organa shook his head in dismay. "The Chancellor will not accept anything but Separatist defeat."

"Neither will most of the Senate from my understanding."

Something flashed through Senator Organa's eyes, a look of dismay he couldn't quite hide. A closer look through the Force proved the accuracy of Anakin's guess. He was bothered by the unity of the Senator and Chancellor, but why?

"The Senate does as the Chancellor desires, Master Jedi. Though, I believe in this they are wrong to at least not pursue diplomatic solutions. Surely enough innocents have perished in this needless war?"

On an old reflex, Anakin wanted to refute the idea that: reaching an accord with the Separatists would add legitimacy to them and anyone who tried to abandon the Republic in the future. He could almost hear the Supreme Chancellor's words buzz around in his mind. Anakin even had arguments about this very same approach with Padmé once or twice in the past. But something stopped the retort from coming out. Once again, he keenly and intimately remembered the palpable worries and fears through the currents of the Force. The anxieties of hundreds of thousands he dared to touch. Multiply that to encompass all the denizens of Coruscant. What of worlds such as Jabiim who suffered a hundredfold worse than Coruscant? Prolonging the war would mean more worlds like that, possibly dozens or even hundreds more...

The very thought was a thousandfold more repulsive than the sycophants gradually dispersing into the Senate building. Gradually leaving Anakin and Bail Organa alone.

"Perhaps..." Anakin started, stopping short of the entrance. "Perhaps their costly military defeat here will convince the Separatists the folly of prolonging the war. This was, after all, their best chance of dismantling the Republic. They'll never get it again."

"Perhaps," Senator Organa said with reluctance. "Or perhaps it will only mean an intensifying of the fighting. I don't see the Chancellor pursuing for peace or leniency after what's happened to him today."

Senator Organa was more right than he knew. Suddenly, Anakin had grown weary of his company, it was time to see someone he actually wanted to for a change.

"It's been nice talking with you, Senator," Anakin forced another smile, shaking his hand again. "But could you please excuse me? There's something I must do before addressing the Senate."

"Don't take too long," Senator Organa shook it. "There may be a riot if you're late."

Anakin laughed at the joke and watched the man leave. It was when the crowd finally dispersed did Anakin notice someone very familiar-looking raise a golden arm up into the air from the entrance. He'd been so pre-occupied with the Senators, Bail Organa, his own thoughts, catching onto where Padmé was that he missed a very good friend waiting for him out in the open the whole time.

"Threepio!" He laughed, approaching the protocol droid he'd built as a slave boy on Tatooine. Artoo at his foot let out a welcoming beep as they walked over to him together. Once Anakin closed the distance, he couldn't help but give the droid a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"I am most glad to see you too, Master, Anakin," Something very similar to embarrassment was in Threepio's prim and proper tone. "I was so worried about you, sir! There are all such ghastly rumors about!"

"Don't worry about it," Anakin assured him, untangling his arms away. "See? I'm fine."

Artoo wheeped and whistles intensely in the form of a... Less friendly greeting. Threepio tilted his body toward the little astromech droid. Anakin knew where this was going right away.

"Hello to you as well, Artoo," Threepio answered with a frostier tone. "From the specks of dirt and denting, I see you caught yourself in another round of unnecessary trouble. Of your own making, most likely."

Artoo answered with a decisively loud, snapping beep and whistle. Threepio jerked away as though someone struck him. Anakin rolled his eyes, the two of them were about to go at it for a while. As fun as it could be seeing them trade barbs at one another, he had someone to see.

"Why don't you two stay here and talk."

"W-Wait, Master Anakin! How will you know how to reach-"

"Don't worry Threepio," He waved at him from behind. "I'll know."

On the walk over, Anakin stretched out his senses via the Force. Just to make sure there was no one else left around. Thankfully, there was no one else on the platform left beside himself, Artoo, Threepio, and Padmé. With a smile, he sensed her behind the massive pillar, excited to see him and worried someone would see _them_ in equal measure.

He decided to ease one of those problems.

With a quick jog, Anakin ignored something else his Force senses picked up on. Whatever it was, it could wait. When she peeked over the corner of the pillar again, Anakin reached her at long last and started making up for all the months they'd been separated. They kissed for what felt like forever, wrapped in each other's arms. The sheer joy of the moment was only enhanced by the Force. All of the bleak chill of the dark side and all of the negative undercurrents from the people of Coruscant were drowned out by the most wonderful feeling of absolute, perfect joy. Through the Force, Anakin and Padmé both became more united in that single moment than in their entire marriage thus far.

But they weren't alone in the embrace. The something from earlier also reverberated through the Force, joining them in this wonderful moment of unity. Two small, undeveloped but still aware living presences, emanating like twin beacons... Padmé's stomach. Breaking the kiss, Anakin stood from his wife's arms and just looked at her. His heart beating so strongly it was like a battery cannon in his chest. She was surprised by this, eyes scrutinizing his face, her breathing hitched.

Anakin did the same for her, a whole range of overwhelming emotions passing through him. Joy, fear, excitement, panic... It seemed for every one thing to make him happy, another momentarily sprang to mind to remind him of what this meant. With a calm, steadying breath, Anakin settled on one of them and smiled so hard his cheeks actually started hurting.

"You're pregnant."

Padmé froze as if General Grievous himself was coming toward her. It took all of Anakin's strength to not burst out laughing when her eyes grew the size of a frag grenade. That would definitely tip someone off about them stealing kisses, in the Senate building no less.

"I..." She started, gulping a few times, licking suddenly dry lips, never breaking eye contact with him. "I am. I am pregnant but... Ho-How did you..."

"You married a Jedi, remember? We're good at noticing things."

"I wanted to tell you... Really... But you were out on the front lines and I didn't want to burden you. Not while you could be-"

"Like I told Threepio, I'm fine, see?" He ran a gesture down his whole body. "Not a scratch or even new scar on me."

She finally let herself breathe again. "Five months, separated for five months..."

"It was torture for me too. Even if I had a lot of other things to keep me occupied."

She laughed, sounding tired all of a sudden. Yes, it was definitely from politics. "So did I, so much has happened while you were away..."

They hugged again, Anakin pressing his organic hand over her swollen belly, masked by a thick, brown robe. With closed eyes, he felt the two little babies inside there, growing every day. He smiled at them. _Hi there, I'm your dad._

The fetuses didn't speak back, for obvious reasons. But they did... Stretch out to him with their own feelings. At first, they seemed confused, afraid even. But soon enough, they seemed to relax from his touch. Anakin simply stayed there, letting this second perfect moment stretch out between them, a family of four. He even got Padmé to forget her troubles at the Senate. For a little while anyway.

"Anakin..." She whispered, eventually. "What are we going to do...?"

"I'll talk to Obi-Wan and Master Yoda about it, tomorrow," He didn't bother moving, he was enjoying the sensations from the twins too much. The answer came out automatically, making perfect sense to him. That was until he felt Padmé freeze in his arms.

"...What?"

"Oh... Ah..." He laughed, feeling like a fool. "Obi-Wan and I... We had a talk on our last mission before coming back home... I... I told him everything."

"Obi-Wan-" Padmé almost screamed before quieting herself. Anakin moved just a bit and saw the shock clear across her face. "Obi-Wan knows?"

"He's known for a while, actually. He did see us together on Naboo on my last leave, remember?"

"... What did he say?"

"He said," Anakin couldn't stop himself from laughing or smiling again, even while she seemed ready to throttle him for it. "Congratulations to me and asked me to say it to you in his name when I saw you next."

"He wasn't angry?" That seemed to calm her down a bit.

"Obi-Wan's fine with it. I thought he'd be angry or disappointed with me too but..." He smiled wider. "He's on our side. Master Yoda too. They've both known about this for years but they didn't stop it. They wanted me to be happy."

"Does... Does that mean you won't be kicked out of the Order?"

That did damper Anakin's mood a little, his smile flattering. "I was thinking about telling the Council, even before your surprise. Obviously, I'd talk it over with you first but I don't think they'll kick me out for this. Really, I don't."

Once again, the words flowed out of him automatically, with complete certainty. Twenty-four hours ago, the very idea of telling all of this to Obi-Wan alone would've sent Anakin into a whirlwind of confusion and fear. But after what he'd learned, he realized there was very little to fear from the Jedi. His calm seemed to have a calming effect on Padmé. Just moments ago, she looked ready to be sick, ready to vomit all over him. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to present himself before the Senate with that on his robes.

"All right, all right, that's good," Padmé nodded. "That's... great actually. I was always so afraid for you, afraid you'd lose your Jedi friends and family."

"Well," He gave her a lopsided grin. "If the worst comes to pass and I do get kicked out, Obi-Wan said he'll quit right with me too. The twins'll have an eccentric uncle looking out for them either way."

"Obi-Wan quitting?" She laughed, the most wonderful one he ever heard. "That sounds-" Suddenly, her good mood died right before his eyes, replaced by another round of shock. "Did-Did you just say, twins...?"

Just as suddenly, Anakin's own good mood changed. He didn't need the Force to know he'd made a very grave mistake indeed.

* * *

Anakin didn't gasp when he woke up that night, he didn't lurch upright or stare blindly and wildly into the darkness of their sleeping room. Instead, his eyes merely opened, a slight groan escaping his lips. Padmé didn't notice, sleeping in-front of him soundly, without a care in the world.

With more breathing exercises, Anakin let out the jolts of panic that brought him out of, what was at first, a very pleasant sleep. With each breath, his mind flashed the images of the... not quite a nightmare he just experienced. He recalled the sounds of blaster fire, the wild whirring of multiple lightsabers at once, he smelled burning permacrete or stone, finally, he remembered lightning, painful, a familiar woman's voice scream, and searing lightning flash in his mind. That last sensation brought up very unpleasant memories of Dooku's Sith lightning.

These weren't the dreams from three years ago either. Images of something that was already happening, like with his mother and the Tusken. Anakin, somehow knew, even without any solid evidence that these were flashes of things to come. A view into the future that made next to no sense at all. Because of the dark side. Whenever Anakin opened himself up to try and reach for the currents of the Force, to find some meaning to the puzzle, the black, chilling fog stopped him.

Well, if he couldn't find the answers, he wouldn't let these premonitions ruin his first night together with Padmé or their children. Instead of falling into a regular sleep, Anakin slowed his breathing down, remembering the exercises done to enter meditation. He'd never been particularly good at the process, preferring various forms of moving meditation to calm himself down.

But before, he didn't have three wonderful people right next to him to ease the process. Instead of meditating on the clouded Force, Anakin reached out to something purer, something untouched by the dark side. He let the pure joy of being with his loved ones wrap around him, a blanket pushing all dark thoughts aside.

For the rest of the night, Anakin Skywalker rested even better than before the flashes woke him up.

* * *

In the night sky of Coruscant, one could make out hundreds of thousands of stars. Under these stars was a boundless array of lights from buildings, tall and small, and vessels perpetuating the traffic of Coruscant. Amidst these lights were the incalculable denizens of Coruscant, each one a beacon, a presence of sorts within the Force.

Amidst all these lights was an area of a pitch, absolute blackness, situated within the Chancellor's suite. Inside this place, was a shadow beyond any shadow to ever exist in the galaxy thus far. From this place, Darth Sidious stretched his influence throughout the world of Coruscant, casting his endless blanket through the Force as a Vapaad creature of infinite tentacles would at its prey.

Through these tentacles seeping into the currents of the Force, Sidious attempted to cast his influence back into one particular individual: Anakin Skywalker.

Since the moment he met the boy, his strength in the Force was readily apparent to Sidious and Plagueis both. What was also more obvious in their brief, first meeting on Naboo over a decade ago, was the boy's fear. For all of the Jedi's platitudes, their antiquated notions of what the power of the Force could and should be for, fear did indeed lead to the dark side.

Sidious made it his business to stoke this fear, as one would stoke a small flame by casting wood into it. And grow it did, fostering feelings of bloated ego, pride, jealousy, uncertainty, all of which would reach a crescendo of the Force, a final musical note to signify the Chosen One's fall and his ascension as the next dark lord of the Sith. A perfect apprentice for the perfect embodiment of the dark side itself.

Yet, from the moment Kenobi and Skywalker exited hyperspace in the battle Coruscant, Sidious knew something had gone awry. Somehow, in ways he could not truly decipher, Skywalker's fear was thoroughly annihilated. His ego tempered, his anger put on a leash and his connection to the currents of the Force unblocked for the first time in his life.

Seeing the boy fight both Dooku and Grievous with dispassionate aggression, instead of an unconscious fury waiting for validation, for proper release at long last was evidence enough of a great, unwelcome shift in his plans. Oh, there were flashes of the old Skywalker there but they were quickly stamped out or so severely lessened there was nothing to be done with them at all.

Now, Sidious felt a cold fury burn in his chest: at himself. In another attempt to break down what Kenobi had done, he attempted to breach the subconscious of Skywalker now as he did three years ago. To find something to push him back into a far more favorable, less stable state. Instead, Skywalker awoke, concerned and shaken but not for long, blanketing himself in something not even Sidious' powers could penetrate.

As he brooded on these recent events, his mind awhirl with scenarios and possibilities even more numerous than the stars, lights or denizens of Coruscant itself, Sidious was coming to the very disappointing conclusion that Skywalker was a lost cause.

However, he would not have come so far, farther than any Sith Lord before him, if he allowed obstacles to get in his way so easily. After all, if one Skywalker was unusable, there were more on the way...


	9. Chapter 9

Anakin pulled himself out of the trance just before the crack of dawn with a silent sigh and a smile. The meditation worked absolute wonders, no premonitions of doom woke him up again and he felt fresh, well-rested. It was possibly the best sleep he'd experienced in years and it didn't even technically count as sleep in the way most people in the galaxy thought of. Padmé was still asleep but smiling too, nuzzling her back against his chest. She was practically radiating in, outwardly and through the Force. Evidently, he wasn't the only one to have gotten something enjoyable out of the meditation.

Gentle as a feather, Anakin pulled his right arm from under her, slipping out of bed without making a sound. He knew Padmé would have a busy day meeting with other Senators such as Bail Organa and Mon Mothma to name a few, she'd need all the rest she could get. She certainly deserved it after a long, initially heated conversation the night before. Primarily about him spoiling the surprise of the twins, something she told her private medical droid to explicitly not reveal under any circumstances. Anakin accepted the berating, promising not to reveal the genders of the children which seemed to mollify her.

They discussed what he would do with the Jedi Council. Anakin stuck to what he thought was right: he would speak with Master Yoda and Obi-Wan both then address the rest of the Council about the twins and his marriage. Though she wasn't entirely convinced, Anakin remained certain things would go over fairly well on his end. Perhaps he would be kept from becoming Master for a while longer. Though in-truth, his hidden desire to beat Mace Windu's accomplishment of being the youngest Jedi invited into the Order's ruling body didn't strike him as very important anymore.

Padmé faced a less certain future. A Senator marrying a Jedi would cost her greatly, possibly even her position as a representative of Naboo. It would be a scandal, particularly with him, the HoloNet feature Hero With No Fear and Padmé, the outspoken fighter of not just the Republic but its core values in the Senate. For that, Anakin could do nothing more but promise that they would weather that particular storm together, no matter what.

Then there were those premonitions to consider too...

After a quick, hot shower and getting his cleaned robes from yesterday, Anakin grabbed a spare cloak, bade farewell to Threepio and headed for the Jedi Temple. Artoo went with him, practically arguing with Threepio until they'd reached the secret turbolift of the apartment building. Unlike most of the Coruscant upper class and political body, Padmé resided outside of 500 Republica. In the Senate Apartment Complex given to her by the Naboo Embassy. It made it far easier to see each other when circumstances afforded them the opportunity to. However, the building also held certain surprises. One of them was a cache of weapons Padmé built inside the apartment, the other was a hidden turbolift, leading to several levels within the apartment building itself and reaching to the bottom echelons of Coruscant as well.

After the assassination attempts on her three years ago, Padmé wanted a good way of either fighting back or getting out of the chaos quickly and safely. No one knew of this turbolift except the two of them and her chief of security, Captain Typho. You'd have an easier time flying through a sun than getting this secret out of that man.

With his hood on and hands in their sleeves, Anakin rode the turbolift all the way to the base of the apartment building, emerging from a sliding wall leading to an alley. From there, he planned to walk a fair distance away then hail a shuttle for the Temple. As was always the case, even a day following a droid invasion, Coruscant's population was teeming with millions upon millions of people in the crowded streets. Humans, near-human, humanoid species and variants of droids of all colors, ages moved in vast, thick hordes this way and that.

It was an overwhelming sight to behold. Anakin distinctly remembered how awestruck he was by the fact so many people could exist in one place. With a smile, he remembered his reaction to Obi-Wan revealing there were hundreds of levels beneath even this. But the smile didn't last long, for even here, the recent scars of battle were obvious. Bridges connecting one side of a chasm to another were smashed, a vulture droid's body was pinned and in the process of being removed from the inside of a store by Republic engineers. Pieces of broken glass littered the ground, as did countless broken windows even dozens of stories up in the air.

But even while intentionally dimming his perceptions of the Force, what stuck out to Anakin was the paranoia. No matter where he turned, there were clones, always with weapons ready scanning through the crowd. Observation droids buzzed through the air, covering for any blind spots the clones couldn't. From what he could discern, both groups were focused primarily on any non-humans who in-turn, radiated with a terrifying fright whenever a trooper seemed to so much as glance in their direction. Whenever one of them was stopped by a trooper, they stood there, either frozen or shacking from fear.

An indignant shriek caught Anakin's attention. Looking over, a squad of clones was surrounding a Muun. The man frantically looked from one soldier to the other, while the commander, whose armor was painted with stripes of red, held a datapad. They were putting handcuffs on him.

"N-No! Please!"

"You are under arrest sir," The commander spoke with a dispassionate tone, not even bothering to look at the man. "Any attempts at resistance will be severely punished. I suggest you do as you're told and come in quietly."

"B-But I've done nothing wrong! I was merely going to work-"

When one trooper struck the tall Muun in the knee, prompting a pained yelp, Anakin was at the scene in an instant. Pushing his hood away, he took a calming breath walked up to the commander.

"What's going on here?" He crossed his arms, addressing the commander. He looked up from the pad and stopped. Anakin sensed a flash of recognition pass through him though outwardly, the commander seemed as dispassionate as ever. "Why is this man under arrest?"

More and more bystanders were stopping to watch the scene unfold, putting a good twenty feet of distance between themselves and the arrest site. In the back, Anakin already heard whispers of it being him, The Hero With No Fear, THE Anakin Skywalker. He ignored the publicity, staring hard at the clone commander.

"As per the Enhanced Security and Enforcement Act," The trooper began with automatic ease, clearly not doing this particular speech for the first time. "Clone troopers are allowed to detain and question any individuals deemed suspicious as a potential threat to the Republic and the safety of Coruscant."

"I'm a baker!" The Muun shouted, mouth trembling. Anakin sensed he was sincere.

"Suspicious individuals are most frequently of a Muun, Geonosian, Neimoidian and Gossam persuasion, sir."

"I voted for Supreme Chancellor Palpatine! Twice!"

"And how many of these suspicious individuals," Anakin calmly asked. "Have turned out to be an actual threat to the Republic?"

"Arrest information of such nature is classified, I cannot tell you that sir."

Anakin blinked and felt the distinct urge to laugh. "I'm a Jedi Knight, commander, a General in the Grand Army of the Republic."

"For which I am extremely grateful to you, sir. However, that does not change the fact this information remains classified and requires higher authorization to access."

"And I were to tell you that my Jedi senses tell me this man is in-fact innocent?"

"Jedi senses are not seen as valid evidence, sir."

"Really? I think it is," With the slightest wave of his organic hand, Anakin let the suggestion ingrain itself into the commander's mind. It was a gamble, clone troopers were of a strong mind, just as their originator Jango Fett was. But recently, his connection to the Force felt noticeably heightened so it was worth taking a shot anyway. The commander seemed to struggle against the suggestion. Anakin momentarily feared it wouldn't work, however, the Force came through for him.

"I think it is too, sir. Men!" He shouted. "Let the Munn go."

The troopers handcuffing him looked at their superior for a few silent moments. "... Sir, are you sure? This isn't standard procedure."

"I said let him go, he's a baker. Unless you think the Seps intend to hide bombs there?"

"No, sir!" They unshackled the Muun who immediately rubbed his wrists.

"You're free to go, now, step aside, citizen." The commander stepped forward and returned the man's identification datapad.

"O-Of course, officer!" The Muun bobbed his large head up and down in an almost comical fashion and took the datapad.

The assembled crowd started dispersing, loudly chatting about what they'd just seen. Anakin heard it in passing and liked none of it. One comment that particularly stuck out to him was "Are Jedi siding with Seppies, nowadays?"

Deciding that the matter was concluded, Anakin sighed and decided to move on, he wanted to speak to Obi-Wan and Master Yoda before the day's Council meeting on the Outer Rim sieges began. He wanted to square things with the ruling body as well. Two droids with one lightsaber slash were better than one after all. Before he could hail a cab, however, he sensed the Muun approach.

"Th-Thank you, Master Jedi," He bowed, looking distinctly less sick than just a few moments ago.

"Just doing my job, sir," Anakin inclined his head and smiled at the man sympathetically. He momentarily thought about ending the conversation there when a thought stopped him. "Say, could you tell me about these... Security checks?"

The Muun suddenly stiffened mid-bow, a fresh surge of worry reverberating from him. "Don't worry, sir. You're not in any trouble, I've just... Been away for a while, I haven't had a chance to see the Security Act in-action until now."

"I-I truly don't want any trouble, Master Jedi..."

"Think of it this way, if I wanted you to be in trouble, I would've let those soldiers arrest you."

The Muun stood back up, Anakin's logic seemed to calm him back down. "Well, if I may speak plainly..."

"I'd like you to."

Artoo backed him up with a happy whistle.

"Then I must voice my displeasure with it. For years now... Things have been getting harder and harder for... People like me here. Several of my brothers and sisters have abandoned Coruscant outright after one of them had their home raided."

"Raided? What for?"

The Muun shrugged. "A routine check they said. There are a lot of them nowadays, Master Jedi. Clone troopers can, at any time of day, barge into your home, overturn the whole place. If you're lucky, they just leave you with a warning, if not..."

"Detaining and questioning," Anakin concluded, almost clenching his robotic fist before calming himself down. "Is this exclusively done to people, whose... species are at war with the Republic?"

"No, sir. I've heard of Thrandoshans and Rodians being arrested on the street as well. One of my neighbors got into a fight with his wife in the apartment next to ours, he stormed out and then..." The Muun's voice fell into a whisper. "We never saw him again. His wife only found out he'd been arrested by checking herself. I've heard they don't even tell you this much now."

Artoo let out a sorrowful whine.

"Does the Supreme Chancellor know about this?"

"Know?" The Muun laughed. "Palpatine has been enforcing these new security laws for years now! Whenever someone in the Senate seems to oppose their tightening, they're all over it and the Security Act is strengthened! I dread to think what will happen after yesterday's attack..."

"Once the war is over, things will return to normal, sir."

"...I dearly hope it is so, Master Jedi."

Bidding farewell to the Muun, Anakin hailed a shuttle and was flying toward the temple. All the while, in complete silence, he tried very hard to calm the slight discomfort in the pit of his stomach. The one telling him that somehow, things weren't going to be normal quite so easily... This fear abated as Anakin neared the Jedi Temple. 5000 years old, unlike any other building in the entire rest of Coruscant, the five spires beautifully reaching into the sky, the new day's sun shining through them. Anakin hadn't realized how much he actually missed this place too until just that moment.

Instructing the droid shuttle pilot to land in one of the mid-level platforms, Anakin thanked it and transferred some credits over. He and Artoo reached a two-way intersection shortly thereafter.

"Why don't you go check if our new starfighter is ready, all right? I need to see Obi-Wan and Master Yoda."

Artoo rotated his dome and let out a series of affirmative feroo-wheeps.

"I'm sure you'll give them a piece of your mind if they mess something up," He laughed. "See you later."

Reaching out through the Force, Anakin could sense Obi-Wan was still in their old apartment just a floor above. It was once used by him and Master Qui-Gon. That was good, it meant he could see him first then find Master Yoda. With a slightly hurried walk, Anakin made his way up, his eyes examining the Temple's interior, taking the whole place in. How many times did he litter these hallways with discarded droids? How many times did he run down them to be the first man to a lightsaber lesson? Passing by a group of excited younglings only made him all the more nostalgic.

By the time he reached the apartment, Obi-Wan was walking out, looking rested and cleaned up with fresh Jedi robes. Faintly, Anakin smelled morning tea from him. It was a favorite tradition of his every morning, one he wasn't able to indulge so much in dirty, rain-filled trenches.

"Good morning, Master." He bowed.

"Ah, Anakin!" He smiled, bowing back. "Good morning to you as well. I trust your evening was most pleasant?"

"More or less," Anakin smiled too. "I'm glad you're up already, I know how cranky you can be if you can't sleep well."

"I am not cranky, simply... Mildly irritated."

"Good thing you're not.. I'll ah... Need your help, yours and Master Yoda's. About... You know what."

"Say no more," Obi-Wan gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, the pair walking down the direction Anakin just came from. "As it happens, I've got a need to see Master Yoda as well."

"Anything serious?"

"Very much so," Obi-Wan's tone considerably frosted. "Things have... Changed here, Anakin. In ways, I do not like at all."

"Yeah..." Anakin muttered. "Me too..."

* * *

Count Dooku of Serenno sat in the private quarters of the Geonosian Dreadnaught. His knees bent, arms folded across them and eyes closed. He had awoken hours ago, well before the escape pod reached the vessel and headed towards their next destination: Utapau.

A remote, fringe Outer Rim world, Utapau was never a member of the Galactic Republic and had no interest in the Clone Wars, preferring a stance of neutrality. A farcical notion. In war, there is no such thing. You were only neutral so long as one side or another didn't require you for their purposes. Grievous proved the truism of this when his forces conquered the planet mere weeks ago, using it as a temporary safe haven for the leaders of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

It was an ideal hiding place, one of Grievous' more inspired machinations, Dooku thought. On the surface, it appeared to be a lifeless, barren rock, made uninhabitable by scouring hyperwinds. However, upon closer examination, life very much persevered even in such a hostile environment.

Thousands of sinkholes littered the world, the size of inverted mountains. Inside, there were miles upon miles of technologically contemporary cities built to house the sapient and non-sapient populations of Utapau. They were, of course, no threat to the occupational force quelling any notions of resistance or rebellion. The Leadership Council had converged onto the world as Separatist forces were gradually pushed to the very borders of known space.

Through this exercise meant to focus his abilities to draw the Force inward into himself, Dooku consistently clenched and unclenched his recently wounded hand, driving into his own knee. Though the wound was long since healed by his own abilities in the Force and bacta treatment, Dooku still felt the pain there. His mind flashing to the battle on the _Invisible Hand. _The depths of his defeat, the prowess of Kenobi and Skywalker and... The humiliation of his capture.

Grievous spoke about it, with obvious hesitation. Of how Skywalker had tied him as one would the basest of creatures and carried him about, in open view of Lord Sidious and Grievous no less, until their narrow escape from the Separatist vessel. Though outwardly he appeared every bit the man of his deserved station, his trained aristocratic excellence, inwardly Dooku seethed in a cold fury. Every clench and unclench of his hand sending a fresh jolt of pain and further anger.

There was a time, long ago, when Dooku would have focused these emotions into himself and allowed them to flow outward into the Force, to bother him no more. Foolishness. He would keep this pain for as long as possible, let it nurture his connection to the dark side. For a third-round with Skywalker and Kenobi, he very much relished the opportunity to have...

A faint beep of the room's holocomm interrupted Dooku's musings. Clenching his fist tightly shut, the Count pressed the accept key. Instead of finding Grievous on the other side, it was Lord Sidious. Clad in black robes, masking all but the underside of his face. Even star systems away, just his image radiated power and authority.

"My master!" Dooku knelt at once, chiding himself for not doing so at once, for even a momentary breach of respectful courtesy.

"Lord Tyrannus. I am most pleased to see you up and about. How is your sword hand?"

Dooku's knuckles almost cracked. "Quite alright, my lord.

"Good, good," He drawled out. "The Senate moves as I have foreseen. In spite of recent complications."

The imperceptible frosting of his tone with the final word sent an involuntary shiver down Dooku's spine.

"With this newest amendment," Sidious continued. "I shall attain direct and supreme command of not only the Grand Army of the Republic but also the Jedi Order itself."

"How soon will it come to pass?"

"Perhaps as early as this afternoon."

Dooku was not surprised by this in the least. Sidious' command of the Republic Senate was of such towering height they were little more than living, breathing formalities to his authority. With this final stroke of political maneuvering, Darth Sidious was for all intents and purposes, ruling the galaxy. Even with their recent... Troubles, the Jedi Order had already lost and they didn't even know it.

Still, there were matters to conclude before the Sith Empire could begin...

"How many I serve you, my Master?"

"Though our victory is beyond doubt, a handful of matters require resolution. When you arrive at Utapau, you will instruct the Leadership Council to remain there with Grievous. Afterward, you will head for the Mustafar base under the pretense of performing another task for me."

"Another Jedi trap," Dooku realized immediately. With the attack on Coruscant, both the public and the Jedi would demand a swift end to the conflict, by any means necessary. Information, provided by Sidious would trickle through Republic Intelligence, eventually reaching the Jedi Council. They would see a golden opportunity: all of the Separatist leaders in one place.

With a single battle, the Confederacy of Independent Systems would fall. Even if Dooku himself remained unaccounted for, the deaths or captures of Grievous, Gunray and the rest of them would end the war regardless. The head of a state was worth nothing at all if the rest of the body was cut off from it. Emboldened by this turn of events, this end in all but name, they would make their move against Palpatine and secure their own downfall...

Once again, Dooku remained in silent awe behind the machinations of Sidious. How quickly he managed to hatch such a scheme, a perfect Jedi trap. Yet, the Count's wonder was... Tainted by something. A very simple fact gnawing at the pits of his stomach and releasing a flash of searing pain from his wound...

"What troubles you, Tyrannus?" Sidious's voice drawled out in a voice that seemed to simultaneously reverberate from outside and inside Dooku's own mind. Once more, his practiced courtesy kept the shiver from showing. "Ah, Kenobi and Skywalker. You wish to fight them when they move to apprehend you."

"... Yes."

"Do not be so hesitant, my apprentice. Conflict is the way of the Sith, as is its pursuit. Your desire for revenge is commendable. However," The brief amusement in Sidious's voice vanished. "It does not serve our purposes. Should events transpire beyond our control again, that may change. Until then, you must wait and seeth from safety. Bask in the dark side of Mustafar, my apprentice. I trust no one else to do what must be done there."

"The droid army will be de-activated, Master. The master control signal is in my grasp and the Leadership Council is none the wiser."

"I expected no less. Should Gunray or the rest of the Separatist leaders try to voice any objections..."

"I will let Grievous deal with them." Dooku almost smiled. There was no love lost between Grievous and Gunray, the cyborg alone would suffice in keeping them on Utapau, where they may give their last contributions to the grand designs of the Sith.

Though, a part of him, buried very deep down where even Sidious may not sense, the Count hopped one more alteration occurred to their plan. That either Kenobi or Skywalker or preferably even both, escaped Utapau when the trap was sprung and somehow, someway found a path leading them to Mustafar. If Lord Sidious noticed, he made no such awareness apparent to Dooku.

"How else might I serve you, Master?"

"Once you arrive at Utapau, command Grievous to avail himself of his most capable MagnaGuard forces. They shall use what secret hyperspace lanes we still know of and the Jedi do not, to transport them to Coruscant."

"Do you require aid, my Master, for when the Jedi strike?"

"No," The amusement in his voice returned. "I will deal with the Jedi myself in due time. Though, as you shall come to know, the droids mission will be of no smaller importance."

* * *

**A/N: Originally, I thought to make Dooku & Sidious a whole chapter but I don't think it would work. A lot of this hypothetical version was also too derivative of the movie & novel. I decided to finish it off here and let Anakin's conversation with Yoda and the Council about various matters take up the next chapter entirely. **


	10. Chapter 10

One of the earliest memories any Initiate has with the Temple is their first visit to Master Yoda's quarters. Situated in the central shaft of the High Council Tower, the quarters served as the Grand Master's home for centuries. Unlike any other personal chamber, Master Yoda had a distinct crest on his door. Anakin and anyone else he'd spoken to about it, didn't know the language though they guessed it belonged to his species. Whenever someone asked him what the two glyphs meant, Master Yoda simply smiled and answered, "From my past, it is."

The purpose of the visit was the same as any other early sample of Jedi life, to show them something important for their future within the Order. A sort of test run for Initiates to get a taste for how lightsaber training is performed or what subjects ranging from galactic history to law and beyond they would have to study. The visit to Master Yoda's quarters was different from all the others. There was no flailing around awkwardly for the first time with a training saber or staring at datapads with endless information. With the Grand Master of the Jedi, you simply sat down for an hour, drank some tea and talked to him.

What interested you in the studies you'd seen so far? Did you get along well with your fellow younglings? Is there anything troubling you that you wish to share? These were just some of the questions Anakin himself recalled when the time came for his first visit. The point was to show all Jedi they could approach Master Yoda for anything troubling them, for wisdom, comfort or simply meditate in his company.

Of course, Anakin proved himself outside the norm even in this regard. For him, the experience was awkward, to say the least. The Jedi Council had left far from a good first impression on him, sensing into his feelings, his fears and bringing them out into the open. Master Yoda more so than the rest. From the very beginning, there was something different about him in comparison to any other Jedi Anakin met then and even now after thirteen years in the Order. It was as though he could sense you from anywhere, as though he was able to look into your very soul, whether you wanted him to or not.

This alone would've put Anakin on edge. But it was far from the only thing. He was a new arrival, a strange boy who the Masters and Knights whispered and talked about. Nine years old ad completely ignorant of the fundamentals his peers already figured out years before, but unlike them, already had a Master to teach him whereas they would have to work for years to possibly get their own. If they weren't sent to the Jedi Service Corp that is.

To make things even more complicated, he was profoundly feeling the absence of his mother. To the point where he couldn't sleep sometimes. He missed Master Qui-Gon too and remembered how he just laid on that slab, burning away with an almost morbid detail. Combine absolutely all of this with the mind of a nine-year-old boy who couldn't articulate half of these things even if he tried to and it was little wonder his visit to Master Yoda all those years ago was stiff, awkward, fraught with anxiety and fear. Fear of them probing inside his head and fear of his worries.

That was the day Anakin began practicing his favored approach with Master Yoda and soon the rest of the Council: closed off and respectful deference. He would practice how to speak to them, how to hold himself in their presence, memorized the words necessary to give off the impression of a perfect Jedi initiate, then proper Padawan and lastly, Knight. Instead of working, however, Anakin only became more anxious around them, a self-terrorizing voice in the back of his head always telling him they could see just how fake he was.

It was only now, as he and Obi-Wan drew closer, Yoda's quarters and all these thoughts and memories came back to him that he couldn't help but shake his head. How foolish he was...

"Youth and foolishness are frequent partners, Anakin. There is no shame in them."

Obi-Wan sensing his thoughts didn't surprise him in the least. He wanted to practice a bit of... transparency on his end for Master Yoda. Falling into old habits was unacceptable that day.

"Only if you learn from it, Master. Something I've only just started getting around to."

"True acknowledgment of one's mistakes constitutes progress already."

"If you keep at it, sure."

"Do you intend to do otherwise?"

"Not a chance."

"Then you've nothing to worry about with Master Yoda."

Though Obi-Wan didn't say it, he remembered a certain phrase of him quite well: There's no need to consider it. Until the possible becomes actual, it is only a distraction. Be mindful of what is, not what might be. Though, in this case, it would be more accurate to be mindful of what is and not what was. In less than a minute they'd reach Master Yoda's quarters. Before either one could knock on the sliding, crested doors, Master Yoda's muffled voice called out to them from inside.

"Enter, you may."

Sharing glances, Obi-Wan smiling while Anakin took a calming breath, the doors split apart and the familiar surroundings came back into view. The quarters were hexagonal with shaded windows casting pillars of shadows from the orange and yellow sunlight entering the room. Like all Jedi quarters, Master Yoda's were bare with only small pieces of furniture: an organiform table, a small bed, and three meditation pads. On the one opposite the door, sat Master Yoda with a cup of tea in his hands, his legs crossed and back held straight. His small cane within arms reach.

Though he was small, Master Yoda radiated a presence in the Force unlike any other. Anakin had sensed his strength in the Force before, or at least he thought he did. Even in this relaxed position, exerting absolutely no effort whatsoever, Anakin felt as though he could see Master Yoda properly for the first time. There was power there to be sure but not just power. Centuries of wisdom, experience, leadership, entire human lifetimes a dozen times over encapsulated into a single being, radiating from him with the same warmth a sun radiated heat.

"Good morning to you, young Obi-Wan and Skywalker." He greeted them with a small smile and inclination of his head.

"Good morning to you as well, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan began while a moment later Anakin stopped staring and did the same, almost saying it in unison with his Master.

"Spent much time with clones you have," He let out a small laugh, sipping his tea, giving no indication visibly or through the Force he caught Anakin gawking at him. "Soon, march together in a formation you will."

"Well, we are fighting in concert quite well," Obi-Wan said with a faint smile.

"Served you well it has," Master Yoda swept his hand at the vacant meditation pads. "Come, come, sit you may. Too long since we have enjoyed each other's company, it has been."

They bowed in thanks again, Obi-Wan sitting in the middle chair while Anakin sat opposite the Grand Master. Once again, he took a calming breath and began to speak when his perceptions picked up on something else in the room. Something faintly but strongly pulsating in the Force. Anakin was too pre-occupied to notice it a moment ago, the small, single alteration in the entire room: a vase on the table with a flower on it.

"A rare species it is, far from the Unknown Regions."

"I'm sorry, Master, it's just... there's nothing else on Coruscant like it. It feels so... different in the Force..." Plantlife in-general didn't have a great presence on Coruscant bar parks and some stretches of land spared from permacrete buildings. Not that Anakin ever paid much attention to forests or trees or flowers, his passions always laid in more mechanical areas. Now, his recently changed Force perceptions sensed Master Yoda's flower pulsate through the air as if it glowed even in the incorporeal world as well as the physical one.

"Quite so," Master Yoda finished his tea, walking over to the table to leave the cup behind. "Surprising it is to see you notice, young Skywalker."

"Let's just say," Anakin shared another glance with Obi-Wan. "Certain things have changed, Master."

"For the better, I assume?" He climbed back into the meditation pod, tiny green legs crossed and arms rested on their knees.

"So far," Anakin admitted. Now was the time. No more distractions like pleasantries, courtesies, jokes or small talk to forestall what had to be said. On an old instinct of fear, he ever so briefly considered trying a way to get out of it. To twist the truth in enough of a way to avoid saying what he had to. Instead, Anakin remembered his talk with Obi-Wan and fought against this old reflex. He felt Obi-Wan's reassurance through the Force, a pillar that had always supported him even if he was too blind and stupid to know it fully until now. With a calm, steadying breath, he simply let the burdens of worries and what-ifs go. Whatever happened next, happened next.

"Yesterday, you no doubt noticed my absence from the Outer Rim sieges briefing."

"Noted, it was."

"There's a very good reason for that. After Dooku escaped us on Tythe, I was... A mess, angry, worried, acting disgracefully for a Jedi Knight. Obi-Wan and I talked, about many things, Master. Openly, honestly and certain things have come to light. For both of us."

Master Yoda's expression was of a thoughtful frown. Obi-Wan gave an encouraging nod to go on.

"I know that you and Obi-Wan have been aware of my feelings towards Senator, no, Padmé. I know you've both covered for me all this time, even after I broke the Jedi Code and for that... I am truly thankful, to both of you. But it's time I... Shared with you how far this relationship goes. Padmé and I... Are married, Master. We've been married for three years since the Clone Wars started. It was a secret ceremony, just the two of us, Artoo, Threepio, and a Pontifex."

Yoda's expression stayed the came. Save for a momentary glance at Obi-Wan and an almost imperceptible twitch of his ears, one would think the Grand Master was made of stone. Even in the Force, his thoughts and feelings were kept well-hidden.

"Great your trouble must have been, young one, for this truth to come out."

"I didn't have to say anything, Master," Anakin promised. "From the way the conversation went, I could have kept silent, kept my secrets. But I... It didn't feel right, it didn't feel fair to Obi-Wan. Now, I'm telling you as well, you and then the rest of the Council."

"Trust," Master Yoda said, his voice grave and a little... sad? "Yes, trust. Important it is, for Jedi to have in one another. In these trying times, especially. Yet, more there is, you wish to say, hm?"

"There is," Anakin nodded, feeling emboldened by now that things were underway. "Yesterday, just before I went to address the Senate, Padmé revealed to me that she's pregnant, for several months now."

Silence fell, neither one Jedi Master said anything. Obi-Wan momentarily looked dumbstruck but soon rallied and Anakin felt his happiness for them through the Force and he was very thankful to his teacher in ways words could never describe. Master Yoda remained neutral and frowning. The frown was still there. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Anakin, for the last time, fought the urge to hold back his thoughts or feelings. This was too important for the future of his children to mess up by acting like a frightened, nine-year-old boy would. Even if he was kicked out of the Order, he would do it with dignity and on his terms.

"Right you are, young Skywalker, much has changed, a great breach of the Jedi Code, this is."

"I'm aware, Master," Anakin's eyes never left Yoda's, but even still, sitting down while saying what he had to didn't feel right. Before continuing, he rose from the meditation pad, positioned himself on the small crest between the three seats and knelt. "And I am sorry. Sorry if I've disappointed you and for keeping this a secret from you. I know you voted for me to join the Order and to become a Knight."

Anakin bowed his head.

"I am willing to accept any punishment you choose for me, Master. All I ask is that it comes after the war, for even if you kicked me out right now, I couldn't stop myself from trying to protect the people of the Republic. Jedi or no Jedi."

"Such a choice, mine it is not to make alone, young Skywalker," Master Yoda's cane poked him in the left shoulder. "Nor would I cast you out if the choice mine to make it was. Rise, you may."

Feeling inexplicably lighter, Anakin did so, allowing himself a sigh of relief. As did Obi-Wan, though he was far more subtle about it. It was very hard, though, to stop himself from smiling.

"Thank you, Master."

"Thank me yet, you should not. A matter for the Council, this is. Informed of this, they must be." Master Yoda poked the cane into Anakin's stomach with every other word for emphasis.

"Of course," Anakin nodded, ignoring the small flashes of pain from the jabs. "I meant what I said: whatever the Council decides, I'll accept it. I only ask that you wait until the war is done if I am to leave the Order. Last night, I had... Strange dreams..."

"You're having nightmares again?" Obi-Wan asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Not like with my mother, no. Back then, I just thought they were dreams but they were flashes of the present, what was happening to her back on Tatooine, from our bond in the Force. This was... Different, scattered but still, chilling.., "

"Doubt that I do not. Subjects of these dreams, what were they?"

"Death and destruction, Master. Everything I saw was of violence, fear,... It was as if all the worst things in the Clone Wars I'd experienced so far flashed through my mind, except worse. However, I believe these images and sounds were of the future."

"Certain, you sound."

"One of the things I heard was Padme screaming," Anakin said, recalling her voice in vivid detail. "I'm not sure if it was from childbirth or terror but when I woke up, she was perfectly fine."

"A dangerous thing, premonitions are. Often, what we seek to avoid, we create instead. And the Force, so very clouded, it has become..."

Master Yoda's voice grew more distant with every word, his thoughts and feelings trailing off somewhere else. Somewhere in the vast currents of the Force. It was widely known his abilities in this regard were virtually unrivaled by any other Jedi in the Order. The fact Coruscant had become so poisoned by the dark side was proof of their enemy's awareness of this. Anakin usually found this ability disturbing. Now, however, something strange happened. Where Yoda's perceptions stretched, Anakin could... See. He could follow them, as one would follow the trails of an animal they were tracking.

A whole web of connections suddenly grew before his eyes, passing on into a thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand... directions. All of them letting one feel the living creatures within the web. All of them promising insight, of the past, present and possibly even the future. Or at least, they would do the latter. Everywhere Yoda went and Anakin followed, fog sooner or later descended on them, obscuring clarity and leaving Anakin with an itching feeling inside his throat.

Then he sensed a change from Master Yoda, surprise. Suddenly, the web of currents faded and Anakin was back in the room. Before him, Master Yoda sat, with wide eyes and perked up ears. Faintly, he was aware of Obi-Wan glancing at both of them. Whatever had transpired now, his perceptions weren't privy to.

"An interesting meeting of the Council, this will be," Master Yoda spoke, tone a strange mix of distant and amused. "Very interesting, indeed."

Before either Anakin or Obi-Wan could say more or ask questions, the Grand Master rose to full height and gently hopped down. With every step towards the door, his cane rhythmically resounding thumps against the permacrete floor.

"Come, young ones, come, the meeting soon will be."

Anakin stared on, still reeling from what just happened. He'd never, not even with Obi-Wan, ever experienced something like it. He didn't even think it was even possible _to_ experience it. A touch on his shoulder snapped him out of the trance. His old teacher stood at his side, smiling openly and an open hand outstretched.

"Congratulations my friend, from me and Master Yoda. Though he does not say so."

Anakin laughed, shaking his hand. "Thanks, Obi-Wan. From me and Padmé both."

"Time for congratulations, later it will be," Yoda glanced at them over his shoulder. "Much to discuss, remains."

Smiling, the two ended the handshake, leaving Master Yoda's quarters behind them. Following a short walk and turbolift ride, they reached a small corridor just ahead of a lobby leading to the High Council Chamber. On both sides of this corridor, transparisteel windows flanked both sides, allowing for a view of Coruscant reserved for only a handful of individuals in the entire galaxy to use at their leisure. Anakin had never taken much of a chance to enjoy it, truth be told. His aforementioned Council related issues always made him too nervous. Now, with the early morning sun on the horizon under the clear blue sky, he would stop to look once his business there was resolved.

The High Council chamber remained the same as always. Circular shaped with high arched windows giving an even better view of Coruscant and a ring of twelve cushioned chairs. One for each member of the Jedi Council. It had been a while since Anakin had seen the full body in session, even longer since all of them were even present in the flesh. Today was, unfortunately, no different. Master's Windu and Agen Kolar were there in-person while Master's Ki-Adi-Mundi and Plo Koon used their respective seat's built-in holoprojectors to attend. The rest of the seats were vacant entirely.

"Good morning," Yoda said first, with Anakin and Obi-Wan follow suit. The attending Masters returned the greeting, though Anakin felt their surprise at his presence. He stood close to the door, while the others sat themselves down.

"Apologize I do for being late," Master Yoda hopped into his seat next to Master Windu. "An important matter with young Skywalker and Master Obi-Wan discussed I did."

"And it seems he has much to discuss with us as well," Master Plo Koon's deep, modulated voice spoke, his gaze on Anakin from across the room.

He confirmed the Kel Dor Jedi's assessment with a nod, only stepping forward to the center of the chamber when a gesture of Master Yoda's hand prompted him to. Anakin stood there, hands at his sides, breathing calm. Peering out into the Force, he felt the silent support of Obi-Wan and Master Yoda, the curiosity of Masters Ki-Adi-Mundi, Agen Kolar and Plo Koon and the intense focus of Master Windu.

"What I'm about to say," He began with a clear voice, making eye contact with all of the assembled Masters, thankful that all of them were sat fairly close to one another and in front of him. "Will displease you, I'm certain of that."

Master Windu's eyebrow imperceptibly raised, Masters Mundi and Agen Kolar frowned, Master Yoda and Master Plo Koon were carefully neutral. Obi-Wan momentarily smiled and Anakin felt the urge to as well, it wouldn't be the first time something he'd done would earn him some ire from the ruling body of the Jedi. But he fought against doing so, the only thing he did from that point on. Opening him up fully to their perceptions, making himself as open the numerous transparisteel windows letting the sunshine into the chamber, Anakin spoke long and without pause.

* * *

It was a struggle, Mace admitted, keeping himself measured through Anakin Skywalker's... Revelatory monologue. Or the fact Skywalker was revealing himself to such a degree at all. While he was open towards their perceptions as an untrained Initiate, as time went on, he adapted a staunch respectful but stiff and decidedly awkward stance towards the Council. Always leaving the impression of someone uneasy, afraid and hiding something. How true the last of those three was now with everything laid bare.

This time, Skywalker had taken his practice of flagrant rule-bending or breaking to the next level. Marriage and romantic relationships in which he actively partook, even becoming a soon to be father, went against one of the core rules of the Jedi Order. It was grounds for dismissal from the Order itself, permanently. Nevermind the fact he married a Senator, one of the most prominent and outspoken ones in the entire Republic. Yet there Anakin stood, open and calmly explained when this relationship with one Padmé Amidala began, how their secret marriage ceremony went and thus explained numerous instances of his absences from the Temple whenever the war didn't need them. At the end of his explanation, Skywalker revealed he was to be a father and very soon from what he knew, of twin children.

And he was not at any single point anything but completely honest with every spoken word. It was one of the reasons Mace found himself conflicted as to what to think about this entire situation. The breaking of the Code was unacceptable, plain and simple and would surely cause many issues between the Jedi Order and the Naboo system when the truth became known across the galaxy. Yet, he could not bring himself to fully condemn Skywalker.

The first reason was his conversation with Obi-Wan about secrets between Jedi never left his thoughts. He had spoken with Master Yoda the evening prior about that very same stance. It was even their joint intention to speak plainly with the other Council members, to reveal themselves, their mistakes and the true severity of the danger present to the Jedi Order and the Republic.

The second reason was him... Understanding Anakin's feelings. As the young Jedi spoke more and more, there was an honest, deep passion behind his words, even a slight smile playing around his lips when he revealed the pregnancy. Mace knew precisely what it was, for it was something he felt as well, deep down and never admitted openly to anyone throughout the many years of his membership within the Jedi. But not for any individual or even the Jedi Order. No, it was something far greater. Mace Windu loved the Republic. The pillar against savagery and barbarism, civilization in its most tangible and perfected form. It was for this reason he so deeply felt... wounded by the squabbling of the Senate, the tolls of the Clone Wars and the ruination of what he considered most important. And he had never said a word of this to anyone, not even Master Yoda.

Mace even came to realize... That he envied Anakin Skywalker, for the young man was honest about his feelings and seemed to thrive from it...

"I am sorry, Masters," Skywalker had reached the end. He knelt and made eye contact with all the other Jedi. "Sorry if I've disappointed you and for keeping this a secret from you."

Anakin bowed his head.

"I am willing to accept any punishment you choose for me, Masters. All I ask is that it comes after the war, for even if you kicked me out right now, I couldn't stop myself from trying to protect the people of the Republic. Jedi or no Jedi."

Silence fell on the Council Chamber. Master Yoda and Obi-Wan knew of this already and so the matter troubled them not, their minds were already made up. Agen Kolar, often known for his blunt honesty sat with his fingers interlocked, a frown of deep consideration present. Though he always viewed the Jedi Code as paramount, the Zabrak Master was also incredibly compassionate towards his fellow Jedi. Even when it appeared as though Quinlan Vos had fallen to the dark side, Agen always restrained himself to avoid hurting a brother in the Order. Master Koon remained calm, though even his demeanor momentarily shook with Skywalkers revelation's, the Kel Dor Jedi was also known to deeply value all life. He was among the Generals closest to his clone troopers, after all.

"Anakin," It was Master Mundi who broke the silence. No one was surprised by this. "Rise, I would ask you a question."

"Of course, Master Mundi," He did so, turning to look at the Cerean Jedi.

"Your marriage to Senator Amidala, would you consider it a boon to your work as a Jedi? Have you grown as an individual with her? Has she grown with you? Is this simple romantic attachment or something more?"

Skywalker considered the words, a thoughtful frown stretched across his face. It was another strange sight on the young man known for diving headlong first with a reckless abandon surpassing even Qui-Gon Jin's.

"I don't remember exactly how it goes but I believe there's a saying in the Order, about Masters and apprentices. That the most important lessons a Jedi Knight learns come from one's student, that the two form a bond of mutual partnership, benefiting each other. I suppose I could describe my marriage with Padmé in a similar way," He smiled again. "In fact, everything I'm doing here today is what I imagine she would do, were our roles reversed. She would plainly, bravely say how things are, humble herself and accept whatever came next. Though, she would worry about it beforehand."

The Cerean smiled faintly then too.

"We haven't been together much but she's... Helped me, so many times to get through the troubles of this war. In ways, no one in the Order could, not even Master Obi-Wan could, no offense."

"None taken."

"So yes, I do believe there is something more there, Master. I believe that I would be a far, far lesser man without Padmé Amidala in my life."

"I believe," Master Plo Koon spoke next. "That the matter of young Skywalker's status within the Order should be put aside, for the time being. We can scarcely afford to lose him now."

"And if the matter was to be settled now," Agen Kolar inquired. "Where would you stand?"

"I would reprimand young Skywalker here, most certainly. Breaking of Jedi Code is no trifling matter, it must come with certain punishments. However," His voice took on a gentle tone as it could, given the mask. "Anakin has shown great maturity and progress here today. His actions complement the sincerity of his words and in these dark times of uncertainty, it is... Refreshing to see something like it."

Master Kolar, still unusually quiet seemed to consider these words, his eyes meeting Anakin's. "I believe I share the same sentiment as well. As things stand with the Order, we must unite and stand together, even if one of us errs in his ways."

Anakin inclined his head in respectful acknowledgment and thanks to their contributions. Leaving Mace the only one left. On a purely practical level, they couldn't kick Skywalker out, even with a unanimous vote. How many times had he and Obi-Wan together or individually turned the tide of a seemingly unwinnable battle, saving countless lives in the process. That alone ruled out even entertaining the notion of his dismissal, until the war was over, at least.

However, this cold, purely practical idea... It did not sit well with Mace. The other Masters were in their ways correct, the times were dark and they as Jedi must stand together. Not because of practicality but because of unity and brotherhood. And then there was the fact Mace found the idea of a potential down the line dismissal leaving him with a sour taste in his mouth. For how long did they want to see Anakin Skywalker become the Jedi they all, to varying degrees suspected he could be? The man he could be? Was he going to tomorrow, next week or a year from now, reward genuine progress with such a severe punishment?

The answer was a firm no, but he wasn't going to let Skywalker completely get away with it either. Sharing a glance with Master Yoda, Mace moved on to speak when the Grand Master gave an acknowledging nod.

"Anakin Skywalker," Mace looked the young man in the eye and found him looking right back, entirely calm and fearless. "Though you have broken one of the core tenants of the Jedi Code, I do not believe it wise to dismiss you, today or even after the war is won and the Sith threat disposed of."

There were rumblings of agreement from almost everyone there in the room through the Force, Anakin remained neutral. As though he knew that was far from the end.

"However, such a breach must come with punishment as well. For while you have shown great maturity with your actions today, there is no guarantee other Jedi can attain it as well. Or that they may grow from their marriages as you have. Therefore, I propose a ban. A Jedi Knight you will remain but only a Jedi Knight, you will be unable to attain the rank of Master for the next ten years. If you attain the rank of Master one day, then you will not be legible for membership on the High Council for another ten years."

Mace looked to the others present in the Council and almost like a group of clone soldiers, their hands went up at the proposal. Even Obi-Wan's, though he and Mundi both gave Anakin sympathetic looks. Skywalker himself made no reaction to the unanimous vote. Whereas other Knights or Masters may balk or be even momentarily discouraged by such limitations imposed on their advancement within the order, Skywalker did no such thing. Instead, he simply bowed.

"I accept your punishments Masters and I thank you for letting me remain a Jedi Knight."

The Council collectively accepted this with nods, approving of this latest display of maturity. Skywalker, however, did not excuse himself. Instead, he rose to full height and exchanged a look with Master Yoda, asking for permission. It was granted to him. His so-far impeccable calm gained a companion, a slight hint of grimness, giving him a faint scowl.

"Yesterday," He spoke up with a cooler tone. "I had strange dreams, almost nightmares of... Dark things, Masters. I dreamed of the sounds of blaster fire, multiple lightsabers carving through the air and meeting one another, I smelled burning permacrete... I felt lightning, like Dooku's from Geonosis, sear me... I heard my wife screaming in terror."

"Premonitions of the future, young Skywalker believes they are."

"I've experienced dreams of the present, of places and people far away. I don't believe this was one of those. Padmé was sleeping soundly right next to me and there was no danger around us."

"If I recall correctly," Obi-Wan spoke up, stroking his heard. "When the Separatists attacked Kamino, you foresaw the future as well. Me crashing into the sea, I believe?"

"It was, though obviously nothing bad came of it," They exchanged brief smiles. Skywalker sobered quickly. "But this was more intense, I think it was the dark side, Masters, affecting me while I slept."

"Did these dreams persist throughout the whole night?" Master Plo Koon inquired. Skywalker shook his head.

"No, Master. I fell into a meditative trance, I focused on my family through the Force. They were pure in it, untouched by the dark side. I slept soundly for the rest of the night. Better than I have in a long while, in-fact."

As Anakin spoke, Mace peered closely into the Force, for the shatterpoints and the faultlines of destiny connecting them. He saw the young Jedi in a different light, shatterpoints of his previous fears and anxieties vanished, replaced by fewer ones, for his family, for the Jedi, Obi-Wan and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Small flaws in his structure, ones Anakin was aware of and kept in greater control. Yet as he spoke, the flaws seemed to glare back at Mace, all of them were even for the briefest moment, intensified by these premonitions.

He then looked past just the young Jedi Knight and sensed, even in the blackened fog across the Force, that Skywalker was right to worry. Whatever these premonitions held, they were tied to important faultlines, ones potentially leading to imperative events yet to play out in this conflict. They could not simply be dismissed so readily. They also meant the time had come for Mace to take the floor. After a nod from Master Yoda, he did just that.

"Have a seat, Anakin, this concerns you as well."

Skywalker looked surprised by this, not that one could blame him after just being illegible for a place on the Council. But with a nod, he did so and sat next to Master Mundi, in Saesee Tiin's vacant spot. Mace positioned himself where the young man stood moments ago and took a single, long breath.

"I too have a secret to share," He spoke calmly, gaze passing over the chamber and making brief eye contact with everyone present. "One of great importance and one I and Master Yoda both have kept from you. A secret that never should've been one as it concerns the very future of the Republic. For keeping it, I must apologize for myself and Master Yoda."

"Coerce me, you did not, my friend."

"Be that as it may," Mace bowed his head for all to see. "I let my fears rule me when I should have trusted my fellow Jedi, I cannot apologize enough for it."

The assembled Jedi acknowledged his apology, though only Obi-Wan and Master Yoda were not surprised by the way this conversation was going. Their surprise would grow more, possibly into outrage for one particular individual.

"The secret is... Relations between the Supreme Chancellor and the Council have deteriorated. Substantially. Over the past few months, Palpatine has either gone against our wishes, ignored our advice or outright ignored us. When we have advocated for other resolutions to the war, peaceful ones, he has forestalled any such attempt. When we have tried to voice our concerns about the Security Act and the troubling things done in service to it, we are ignored. When we've tried to broach the subject of his emergency powers and the flagrant disregard for the very Constitution of the Republic, he's waved us aside with the same answer: when the war is over, I will step down. But how can a war end, how can true democracy be established again if the same man promising this is doing all in his power for the war not to end?"

"I have..." Anakin spoke, leaning forward and struggling to speak. Mace was not surprised by this. A calming breath helped carry him on through. "I have seen the Security Act in action myself, this morning, in-fact. A baker, a Muun baker, was detained by a squad of clone soldiers just on the basis of his species. They would have sent him to prison for questioning if I hadn't intervened on his behalf."

"What was the squad commander's reason for this?" Master Koon asked.

"He said Separatist agents and potentially subversive individuals, dangerous to the security of Coruscant were most frequently belonging to species at war with us presently. When I asked him for information to corroborate how valid this claim was, he refused to tell me, saying it was classified."

"Classified?" Master Mundi repeated, mouth hanging open momentarily. "You are a Jedi Knight, a General in the Grand Army of the Republic."

"That's what I said too but he wouldn't budge. If I hadn't pulled a Mind Trick on him, the baker would be rotting in a cell now," Anakin grimaced. "Or worse. I asked the baker for more information about these arrests. He revealed to me a neighbor of his, a Rodian, was sent to prison after another squadron picked him up one night. The man just left his home for a while after a fight with his wife. The baker mentioned raids on homes too, always on non-humans."

"Looking for more subversive elements." Agen Kolar concluded.

"The Munn didn't lie to me, I could sense it. In fact, the more I felt around the people of Coruscant around us, I sensed a profound fear from aliens. Towards humans and especially towards clones. The humans meanwhile..."

"Disdain them, they do as young Skywalker knows," Master Yoda spoke up, his voice as grim as his expression. "Long has this simmered, throughout Coruscant. Strengthening the dark side of the Force, it has."

"We once thought it was a byproduct of the war," Mace said. "However, recent discoveries afforded to us thanks to the efforts of Anakin and Master Kenobi through the mechnochair have brought to light a far more... Disturbing truth behind these events. Behind the very war itself. During our investigation into the identity of Darth Sidious, we discovered that he and Count Dooku have been meeting in secret, right here, in the Works of Coruscant for years now."

Mace did not need the Force to know what they were all thinking, what they were all feeling. Personal experience and all that. "As we looked for the trail to Sidious, we crossed through the winding, abandoned tunnels underneath Coruscant and the trail ended... At 500 Republica."

"That cannot be..." Agen Kolar said, as bluntly honest as always. Obi-Wan and Master Yoda knew already and it did nothing to mask their own worry about this fact. The other present Jedi reacted as Mace expected them to, stunned silence. They all knew full well the implications of this.

"To make matters worse," Mace's voice turned grim as well. "The moment we began to get closer, to perhaps even capture or kill Sidious, the attack on Coruscant occurred. I had to leave the rest of my team to protect the Chancellor. By the time the battle was more or less over, I discovered that the investigation team was butchered in my absence. In such a way nothing but the Force could have caused such injuries."

"What Dooku told me three years ago was true," Obi-Wan reminded them somberly. "The Sith Lord is here, has been here for years now and is in control of the Senate itself."

"Deception with the truth,..." Master Mundi said. "And we thought it so impossible..."

"I believe the proper term for it is arrogance," Master Koon said with a bluntness expected of Agen Kolar. Instead, the Zabrak Master sat in pained silence, as though a saber was cutting at him from the inside out.

"You think it's Palpatine," Anakin spoke up again, silently watching everything around him with a frown of deep concentration. Behind this, Mace and all the rest felt what was going on inside him, pure, raw disbelief. "Because of his emergency powers, the Security Act... You think he's the Sith Lord."

It was not a question so much as a statement. If he was asked this yesterday or any other day, he may have held back, lied to himself out of some... Desire to face an uncomfortable truth. He was sorely tempted to do it now as well, for to admit such a thing would mean the Republic was for all intents and purposes, already gone. Yes, it was a painful thing to admit. Regardless, Mace locked eyes with the young man and continued speaking honestly.

"I cannot be certain if he is, however, if it turned out to be the case, I would not be surprised."

* * *

Anakin exhaled, loudly and shakily. He felt beyond uncomfortable, outright sick. It became hard to breath, to calm himself down. The urge to shut himself off from them, for them not to sense or see what he thought about all this was sorely tempting. The shame he felt at the temptation to lash out at them, to call them traitors, Separatists and a whole slew of other things only made him feel worse. Leaning back into the chair, Anakin breathed in and out, trying to center himself again but it was hard, so very hard...

Until Obi-Wan reached him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He didn't say anything, instead, he simply smiled and let Anakin feel him through the Force. As always, his old Master was the calm eye of a storm, a solid foundation in a whirlwind of chaos raging from Anakin's almost palpable anxiety. Soon, he was joined by Master Yoda as well, then the rest of the present Jedi. Latching onto them, letting their calmness ease his troubles, Anakin's breathing became less ragged, the twisting in his gut eased up.

"I'm better... I'm better," He gave them a tired smile, feeling positively exhausted. "Thank you."

"Understand your troubles, I do," Master Yoda's voice took on a softer touch. "Many years of admiration I have for Chancellor Palpatine. Yet ignore recent events, we cannot."

"I understand, really I do, its just..."

"Palpatine is your friend," Obi-Wan said not unkindly. "And you cannot bring yourself to think of him that way."

Anakin nodded, finding it easier to calm down all on his own again.

"It is not easy," Mace Windu said with a soft voice as Anakin had ever heard from him. "To face the realization one you consider a friend is in actuality your enemy."

"Heavy a blow, it is," Master Yoda's ears fell, making the great Jedi look much older and infinitely sad.

Anakin knew at once who they meant: Sora Bulq, Master Billaba... Dooku... And who knew how many other Jedi brothers and sisters... Even with this profound sympathy for them and thankfulness for their support, Anakin couldn't bring himself to believe Palpatine was a Sith Lord or Sith accomplice. No, until he saw with his own eyes... Which he dearly hoped wouldn't happen.

"I understand your suspicions, Masters, I agree that the situation with Chancellor Palpatine looks bad," He took another calming breath and made it a point to make eye contact with all of them. "However, what if this is simply another ploy of the Sith? What if the Sith is somehow contriving circumstances to paint Palpatine as a threat, turning us against one another while the real enemy laughs at us behind our backs?"

"It could be true," Obi-Wan said, ever the one to look for the brighter side of matters. "Who is to say the Supreme Chancellor is not under the sway or control of this Sidious? Perhaps unknowingly at that. The dark side is capable of many dark, forbidden arts and it swirls about the whole of Coruscant perpetually."

"It is also just as likely" Master Kolar spoke up. "That Palpatine has lost his way in the midst of chaos and war and Sidious is merely using this opportunity to deceive us."

"Palpatine is pressing his advantage further, still," Master Windu's voice regained its grimness. "From the few Senators still friendly with the Jedi, before this meeting, I have discovered that another amendment to the Security Act will come to pass today. Through it, Palpatine will attain direct control as supreme commander of not just the Grand Army of the Republic but also the Jedi Order itself."

Anakin felt as if he'd been struck again and so did the rest of the assembled Jedi. Even Obi-Wan and Master Yoda sent a ripple of palpable shock and disbelief at this revelation. Keeping himself centered, Anakin let his gaze go across the vast permacrete and durasteel of Coruscant, all the way to the Senate dome off in the distance.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this," He said almost absent-mindedly, eyes locked onto the place where the Chancellor was currently at, pushing this amendment to the Security act. "We can sit here and speculate until the sun dies out but I'd rather find some answers."

"You may be the only one who can," Master Windu said. "If there is any Jedi left on Coruscant, the entire galaxy, with whom Palpatine's relationship has not deteriorated, it's you."

"Investigate the residents of 500 Republica, we must," Master Yoda emphasized every word with a cane stab through the air. "Continue allowing Sidious' manipulations from there, we cannot."

"The Chancellor will listen to me," Anakin assured them, feeling quite certain about it. "Once I explain to him the importance of this investigation, he'll listen. I know he will".

"Assuming he is not working with or for, the Sith Lord," Master Agen said with the blunt honesty of a vibromace.

"If the Chancellor has been lying to us, the entire galaxy for over ten years now..." And to him, Anakin thought, hoping dearly this wasn't true, that it was only a Sith plot pitting good people against one another. "Then I will do my job as a Jedi Knight."


	11. Chapter 11

The wait was insufferable. Moments seemed to go on for minutes which seemed to go on for hours and so forth within the Council chamber. At first, Obi-Wan did not notice this, not while they still spoke. Firstly of Palpatine and his potential connections to Sidious. When did the Supreme Chancellor seemed to go awry, were there signs already present but ignored before the first blasterfires of the Clone Wars were unleashed on the galaxy? Other possible suspects fitting the measurements taken by the initial search party were Vice-Chancellor mas Amedda and advisor Sate Pestage in the event Palpatine was only a distraction, witting or unwitting ally of the Sith.

When this became a circular act of endless speculation, the conversation turned to the war. Where had they last been? How many enemy troops did they face? Where was the situation most dire? Yet this exchange ended fairly quickly, hearing about the endless plights of battlefield after battlefield was hardly a subject to keep one's spirits or in Obi-Wan's case, worries to rest. And so, the assembled Jedi simply sat in silence, not even meditating, while they awaited Anakin's report.

I should have gone with him, Obi-Wan thought and not for the first time.

"Only hamper young Skywalker, you would," Master Yoda said with a meaningful cane jab through the air. "More he will learn on his own. An apprentice, he is no longer."

"Yes, I seem to keep forgetting that... It's a wonder he hasn't told me off himself yet."

"Perhaps he would if he did not feel he still had much of worth left to learn from you." Master Koon offered. Obi-Wan accepted the compliment with a nod, though it did little to improve his mood.

"For years now," He momentarily smiled. "We've spoken, no, argued about politicians at length. I've always had a certain... Distaste for them, while Anakin has always advocated in their favor."

Who he used to speak favorably of the profession went without saying.

"I fear what this will do to him. Palpatine and he have always been close, closer even than the two of us until very, very recently. I almost wish that for his sake, Palpatine has nothing to do with this."

The sight of him shaking, looking physically ill remained vivid in Obi-Wan's memory. His friend always did believe in people above all else, before abstractions such as rules or politics or ideologies. To him, the worth of such intangible ideas came from the people enforcing them. It made him impossibly loyal to others... But it could also cause great pain if one's trust was misplaced...

"It would be best for all of our sakes," Mace said, running a hand over his bald head. "A Sith Lord or accomplice or pawn leading the Republic... It would be a disaster of unimaginable proportions."

"Cloaks and daggers," Master Kolar said with a grimace. "At least the Sith of old had enough courtesy to fight us out in the open."

"Deception and treachery, always have been the tools of the Sith," Master Yoda reminded them. They expected the Grand Master to continue this train of thought, instead, he looked away, his breathing heavy. "Yet these new Sith... Different. There is a cunning there unlike any the Jedi Order has faced. Centuries ago, our first clue of the dark times ahead we received, yet we- No, I. Too foolish to see then, I was. To realize that the Sith have transformed, evolved, while we have remained the same."

Leaning back into his sit, stare and thoughts far away to a place only known to him, Master Yoda seemed less of a Grand Master. A being of unparalleled renown and skill with a lightsaber and diplomacy with nearly a thousand years of experience and wisdom and more of a very tired, very old man.

"We've not lost yet, Master," Obi-Wan reminded him, feeling the urge to rally, to look at the bright side in-spite of the creeping shadows. Someone had to when the rest of the room seemed equally grim. If he could not help Anakin, he could try to help them. "Despite the challenge, and the hardships this task will bring him, I do believe Anakin will bring us closer to the truth."

Master Yoda's ears perked up and though he did not smile, he accepted the encouragement with a nod.

"This is why I've used meditation or preferably sparring to keep myself... Distracted, for a while, at least." Master Windu stated.

"A distraction would be welcome," Obi-Wan admitted. "But, I wish to be here when Anakin reports."

"Master Koon and I will gladly spar with you," Master Mundi offered with a not too subtle smile. "Isn't that right, old friend?"

"Certainly so," Master Koon nodded, just the barest hint of amusement in his modulated voice. The thought accomplished its intended effect, getting a small but mood-improving laugh from all those present. They held onto this feeling, letting the ebb of time perceptibly return to something approaching normality until at last, half an hour after Anakin left them, the holoprojector from above beeped. A moment later, Anakin's blue image crackled in the center of the room, all eyes trained on him.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, leaning forward. "Are you alright?"

"More or less, Master," He looked around, looking better than Obi-Wan expected, almost happy but worse than he hoped.

"What have you managed to discover, Anakin?" Master Windu inquired, leaning forward in his seat.

His old apprentice didn't speak immediately, instead, his mouth opened and closed, clearly struggling to articulate what transpired.

"Don't rush yourself, my friend," Obi-Wan gently helped him along. "Gather your thoughts and speak."

* * *

Since the beginning of his time in the Jedi Order, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's office was a frequent visiting place for Anakin. He'd gone there dozens if not hundreds of times, each one leaving him feeling better than the last. Unlike the Temple, where Anakin felt the need to be on guard with almost everyone, constantly hiding his worries and fears from the prying eyes of the Jedi, this office within the heart of the Republic, was always open to him and Anakin welcomed any chance to enter it.

The Supreme Chancellor was a friend in the true sense of the word. Anakin could tell him almost anything about himself and his life, save for one exception, which was a hundred more things then he felt comfortable telling even Obi-Wan. Instead of lectures about the Code, about holding up some ideal he, until very recently, didn't even understand, he received sensible advice. Human advice, from someone who understood the fact Anakin was someone with an ordinary life not struggling with one quite unordinary.

Even when he told him of what happened to his mother, the circumstances of her death and his subsequent revenge on the Tusken, Palpatine was there. He didn't lecture him, didn't scold or look disappointed or disgusted, as Anakin for the longest time thought Obi-Wan would, he just put a gentle hand around Anakin's shoulder and let the boy already off to war cry his eyes out.

These were the memories Anakin's almost on an uncontrollable instinct tried to fall back on, to shield him from what his eyes were clearly noticing.

There was a gloom in the room. He wasn't sure if it came from the multitude of still smoking buildings from outside the gargantuan arch window behind the Chancellor's desk blotting out the sun or from the lampdisks. The lights were bright, almost harshly so, intensifying the gloom with shadows throughout the entire room, even with broad daylight just outside.

The color red permeated throughout the entire room. One of two carpets, all of the walls, the ceiling and the two guards flanking the entryway towards the desk were all red. The exact same shade of red, every one of them. Even the exception, a circular white carpet beneath the desk and guest chairs which stuck out only intensified the room's dominant color. Anakin couldn't help but find it all disconcerting.

No, he was wrong. There were four objects which stuck out from the red yet complimented it perfectly. They were large, taller by two heads than Anakin himself and golden. He vaguely recalled the Chancellor telling him about them, when he was very young, they reminded him of many statues built inside the Temple. Though, he couldn't remember what or who they were...

"Taken an interest in sculptures?" Chancellor Palpatine's pleasant voice said from the desk, casting a friendly smile at Anakin. As he looked at the chair where the Supreme Chancellor sat, moments ago busy with a datapad from some remaining business left to sort out, Anakin noticed it casting a wide shadow against the sun's shine. Seeing him there, behind the chair, he realized what this place reminded him of now: the General's Quarters from the _Invisible Hand_...

It was a good thing Anakin kept his Force shields up and his perceptions trained only on his immediate surroundings. Master Yoda warned him explicitly to keep them focused on his immediate surroundings, never to go farther and that they would speak more of it later. Still, even this intentionally limited view left him profoundly sensing the dark side of the Force through the air. Not only in the office but before he even set one foot within the Senate building itself.

Feeling something in his gut twist, Anakin smiled ruefully and kept looking at the statue, hoping to mask his worries and suspicions by focusing on the statues. The Chancellor emerged from the chair shadows and with a few steps stood next to Anakin, joining him in his apparent admiration.

"The Four Sages of Dwartii," Palpatine said with admiration, drawing out the words ever so slightly. "Great philosophers and lawgivers from the early days of our fair Republic. Much of what we have today is from their efforts."

"I remember you mentioning they were... Controversial?"

"For certain, why, some would say they were little more than a cruel cabal advancing the interests of their own kind at the expense of others. Many of their laws were thought of as needlessly cold and unsparing. Theirs was a different time, wild, untamed..." Palpatine smiled faintly. "Though, some may perhaps say the same for us as well sometime in the far future."

"They resemble Jedi."

"Quite so," He nodded, turning about the room with a sweeping gesture at each one. "Faya, Sistros, Yanjon, and Braata were well versed in the arcane arts as well. Some say they were Force-sensitive as well, using its powers for their own political ends. A fact I believe Master Yoda once told me."

Anakin made a mental note to verify this. As the Chancellor moved about, he scanned the other statues just a bit more closely, finding all of them vaguely unsettling, particularly one of Sistros. The dark hood casting a shadow over his non-existent face and arms clapped together in long robes reaching to the ground made it seem as though the statue was hiding something terrible.

Ignoring this, Anakin looked back to the Chancellor. "How are you, sir? I'm sorry for not asking at once but-"

"It's no trouble at all," He waved the apology aside. Before answering, he addressed the two Red Guards standing motionlessly at the entrance, almost appearing as another set of statues. "You may leave us, with such a capable Jedi Knight by my side, I will be in no danger."

Bowing deeply, the Red Guards left, their red capes flipping through the air behind them. The effect of their silent exit was only enhanced by the fact they didn't make a single sound when leaving. The Chancellor's hand came to rest on Anakin's back, guiding him to one of the guest seats.

"I am as well as can be, my friend," He answered, smiling though with a wearier tone of voice. "You will not be surprised to learn that I did not sleep well at all last night."

"Nightmares, sir?" Anakin asked, taking a seat in the chair while the Chancellor sat at his desk. Once more reminding him of the _Invisible Hand_.

"Restlessness. After such a horrible day, my mind kept wandering about, as it often does recently. So many things to consider, so many possibilities, so many dangers... I fear sleep will continue to elude me until this war has come to an end. And you, my friend?"

"Me?"

"You seem a bit... Disheveled yourself. Distracted, asking me about statues and history..."

Anakin, not for the first time, wished Obi-Wan was there. Though he would definitely be appalled by the statement, Obi-Wan was far better with these kinds of things. Diplomacy, dialogue and keeping his thoughts and feelings carefully controlled or under wraps. Someone with the inability to fence with wordplay wouldn't get the unofficial title, The Negotiator, after all. Even when he supposed he was a decent liar, Anakin was never even close to reaching that level of skill nor did he try to. If only he could go back and smack himself in the face with his metal arm...

But, he had seen Obi-Wan do it enough times. Play the fool, perfectly pretend obliviousness over something obvious to throw whoever he was negotiating with to overplay their hand and then throw the rug down from under them. His philosophy with lightsaber fighting was identical. Consistently, there was something a pattern: Obi-Wan never lied, not completely anyway. Depending on how hostile someone was to him, Obi-Wan adopted varying degrees of honesty, oftentimes using one truth to shield another. He vaguely recalled asking him about it one time, how a negotiation was similar to a battle. That it was never a goal in itself, just a distraction to mask the true goal and was best countered by another distraction.

It was time to put theory into practice.

"You're right, sir," He let out a genuine breath, feeling the weight of everything upon his shoulders. "I am... Distracted, there's a lot on my mind."

"I'm always here to listen, Anakin," He leaned back into the chair, hands spread as if waiting for an embrace. It was a gesture he'd seen before but cast against the seat shadow... "Anything I can do for you, anything at all, simply ask and it's yours."

Anakin didn't even let himself think what he'd like most. "It has to do with the Security Act, sir. I've heard... And seen troubling things concerning it. Raids on people's homes, random people being interrogated and thrown into prison."

"It is an unfortunate consequence of the war," Palpatine sighed, hands resting at the arms of the chair. "I mislike these precautions as well, they are a terrible thing to do to citizens of the Republic. And yet, we must protect ourselves from any blind spots, lest our enemies strike us from the shadows and we are left completely unawares."

"I understand that, sir, but I feel that they're being taken too far, and with apparent bias against the non-humans of Coruscant. And not just members belonging to the Separatist species either."

At those words, there was a flash of pure anger across Palpatine's face, unlike any Anakin had ever seen before. His kindly old man face contorted into a contorted grimace and the scowl alone made him reflexively lean back into the chair. As though he were about to be struck. It vanished just as quickly it came, leaving the Supreme Chancellor pressed against the chair, shoulders slumped and looking impossibly tired.

"I apologize for startling you, my boy," He regained some strength following a deep breath. "This matter... I have known about it, though only recently. When I discovered such actions against the citizen of our Republic, it was all I could do not to..."

He trailed off, shaking his head. It took every bit of self-control Anakin had not to rush over to him immediately, to forget the doubts of the Council and to end this line of questioning right there and then. But he knew he couldn't do it. Because of Master Windu, Master Yoda, Obi-Wan,... They wouldn't have sent him there if they didn't know something foul reeked from the heart of the Republic, something only he could discover. But neither could he appear heartless, to just sit there when the Supreme Chancellor, his friend, was in pain.

Lifting himself off the guest seat, Anakin went to the Chancellor's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. The effect was immediate, Palpatine lifting his head and giving him a thankful smile.

"You are very kind, Anakin, I must apologize again for distressing you so."

"It's no trouble at all, sir, you've done it for me too... Many times."

Removing his hand so as not to tempt fate, Anakin watched the Chancellor swirl the chair around and rise to his feet. With a gesture, Anakin followed him toward the vast window showing Coruscant under them. The stood there, in-silence, Palpatine enjoying the view while Anakin waited for the right opportunity to speak again. Ultimately, he didn't need to.

"Today," The Chancellor said with a clear, strong voice. "There shall be another proposed amendment to the Security Act. Through some of my own loyal allies within the Senate, I have discovered that they mean to grant me absolute authority over the Republic's military, Republic Intelligence, and the Jedi Order."

Anakin tried his very best to look and sound surprised. "Really? But that's..."

"Been under consideration for a while?" He smiled faintly. "Yes, and given the recent circumstances on Coruscant, I can hardly blame people wanting to put an end to the squabbling of the Senate. None are more knowledgable about that particular subject than I am, I assure you."

"You'll accept?"

"I have no choice. Though some call me a self-serving warmonger, I do intend for this war to end, in the shortest order possible. But I would be lying if I claimed that was not the only reason for it. Tell me," The Chancellor looked him in the eye. "Are you aware of the situation between myself and the Jedi Order?"

"I am," Anakin said without pause. "Obi-Wan mentioned that relations between you have become... Strained, recently."

"Unfortunately so," He sighed, shaking his head. "Should this amendment pass, I hope to put an end to it. To repair relations with the Jedi, to eliminate all roadblocks keeping us from cooperating plainly with one another. Through those same means, I also wish to bring the Republic Intelligence into this fold, to ensure everyone knows what everyone else is doing at all times. And to put a stop to unsavory actions done without my knowledge or cooperation."

"Like the raids and arrests on non-humans."

"For a start, yes."

It all sounded wonderful, Anakin thought. His own disdain for the Senate was known by quite a few and the idea of a good, capable man cutting a swath through it all to get things done properly was an idea he could stand behind. If this conversation happened days ago, Anakin would have unquestioningly accepted this explanation and go on with his life. Secure in the knowledge order was about to be restored. The luxury was lost to him now. What the Chancellor didn't understand was the fact the roadblocks between him and the Order would not be removed with this. Only intensified. They believed he was a self-serving warmonger more than possibly anyone else.

"Then the amendment might come at the perfect time."

"Oh?"

"I didn't come here just to see you, sir," He almost added "As I always do" but stopped himself. "The Jedi Council has recently made a great breakthrough in their search for the hidden Sith Lord. Through the mechnochair, Obi-Wan and I recovered from Nute Gunray, and Master Windu's inquiry, they've tracked the trail of Darth Sidious... To 500 Republica."

"Are they certain of this? Without question?"

"Absolutely, sir. Dooku has been moving in and out of Coruscant for years now, frim the LiMerge building in The Works. The dark side of the Force was strong there. The Council suspects they were the ones who supplied General Grievous with the hidden hyperspace lanes to attack here."

Palpatine didn't say anything, didn't so much as flinch. He just stood there, watching Coruscant's damaged life go on and on. The signs of his true feelings were only revealed in his minute movements. The slight shaking of his hands hanging helplessly at his side, his mouth subtly trembling and eyes rapidly blinking as though to fight back tears. He didn't even look angry, just profoundly lost. No, hopeless. It was even more difficult for Anakin to stay on course, this time. Gently, awkwardly, he put another hand on the Chancellor's shoulder. This time he didn't even smile, just letting out a hitched breath.

"All this time," He drawled out in a nearly lifeless voice. "All this time, the enemy has been here and I... Th-The fool! I did not even realize it!"

"It's not too late, sir," Anakin said after swallowing a lump. "We can still capture Sidious. All we need to do is run a thorough investigation of everyone who lives in 500 Republica. I'm sure we'll find something, some clue to hunt down the Sith Lord."

"You have my permission, no, my support," He turned to face Anakin, his complexion not as pale and a determined fire in his eyes. "Whatever the Jedi Order requires to root out this... Creature, this fiend no doubt corrupting the very pillars of democracy! We cannot hope to end this conflict so long as this... Darth Sidious lives and breathes."

* * *

"The Chancellor assured me we'd receive full cooperation from the residents of 500 Republica along with absolute support from himself and the Republic Intelligence forces."

Silence fell upon the Council chamber once more, expressions and thoughts of surprise permeating through the air. None more so than from Master's Yoda and Windu. Indeed, it was almost comical from the way their Grand Master's ears were perked up, his eyes widened before eventually settling on his almost signature, thoughtful frown. Master Windu's surprise was far more restrained, almost entirely missable if one did not catch it at the proper moment. He too settled on a frown somewhere between thoughtful and intensely suspicious.

It did not help Anakin himself looked... Conflicted.

"Did you sense anything amiss with Palpatine? Any deceit from his words or thoughts?" Master Windu asked.

Anakin shook his head. "None whatsoever, though I must stress again... It was difficult for me to talk to him like this."

"Certain you seem, that something remains strange."

"I cannot deny what I saw in the office, Master Yoda. That place... It looked sinister by itself. Even through my dimmed perceptions of the Force, I could feel the dark side swirling about that place. Throughout the entire Senate building, in-fact. I would've spent my whole time there shaking if I fully tried to reach out."

"Still, this is progress. Earlier it remained highly dubious any investigation would come to pass at all. Now, there is an opportunity where once was nothing."

"Well said, Master Kenobi," Master Windu inclined his head, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Which is why I propose you be one of the ones to lead the investigation."

"Of course," He answered immediately, trying very hard not to think about all the time about to be spent meddling with... politicians. "My perceptions are not as keen as other Jedi but I will do what I can."

"You're a friendly face, Obi-Wan," Anakin said, smiling and looking back as his old self. Obi-Wan did not like it. "And you have a way with words, you're perfect for a softer touch."

"Which is why I will join you," Master Windu's smile was gone, replaced by his usual sternness. "With my ability to sense shatterpoints and... Disposition, I will be the perfect counterbalance to our Negotiator."

"A third member of this party, I recommend," Master Yoda's pointed look at Anakin left Obi-Wan's old friend looking decidedly surprised. "An unseen role, serve you will."

"Unseen?" Agen Kolar asked while Anakin remained silent and dumbfounded.

"A great change has occurred in young Skywalker here. Where once he only sensed the Force in the basest of ways, now his mind, expanded it has become. Is that not so?"

"... I suppose."

"There is no suppose, there only IS," Anakin wisely remained quiet. "Your entire life-limited your view of the Force has been stifled, by your own actions and fears. Afraid you have always been to open yourself, to allow the thoughts and emotions of others to become known to you. Even those closest and partially, our fault it is and corrected it shall be!"

"You're not... Wrong, Master Yoda," Anakin said with a heavy breath. "After letting Obi-Wan know about... Everything, its like something just... Clicked inside my head, like a switch I never even knew about."

"The Living Force," Obi-Wan said with a knowing smile. "That is what you have become intuned with, to the very life of every creature you can reach out to. Sensing what they feel, how they feel. It is the acceptance of what IS, not what may be. Master Qui-Gon was also highly attuned to it. He always let it guide him."

"Through proper training, greater mastery to this attunement of the Force, you will attain. While Master's Windu and Obi-Wan question those of 500 Republica, you will perceive their true intentions through the Force," A playful smile graced Master Yoda's lips. "Training I shall give you."


	12. Chapter 12

Located at the base of the Temple, on the northwestern side, the Room of a Thousand Fountains was a seven-story tall greenhouse whose wooden doors were immediately identifiable. From the entrance, several stone and dirt paths split off into dozens of directions. Benches lined every one, giving hundreds of spots to sit down and relax. Between these pathways, there were thousands upon thousands of exotic plants from all over the galaxy. No matter where you went, the soothing sounds of nature trickled on endlessly.

Anakin rarely went there. His way of meditating was building or repairing anything he could get his hands on. When he was younger, it was usually a droid or gadget, as a grown man it meant minutely improving his starfighter's performance until it felt just right. If that was out of the question, sparring was the second-best option. He stood at the entrance, staring as fellow Jedi young and old walked past him. The sheer contrast between the green-house and the Chancellor's office astounded him. There was no permacrete or durasteel there, no sinister architecture looming large and no fog of the dark side to choke on.

It was a whole different world, no, a different galaxy from the rest of Coruscant combined.

Though Master Yoda requested his immediate presence there the moment he returned, Anakin took his time reaching him, there was so much to see, to smell and to feel. Tentatively, he stretched out through the Force and basked in the vitality coursing throughout. It was as though looking through a kaleidoscope, countless colors, and patterns intermingling in ways no physical object could portray. At one point, on the second floor, it became so overwhelming Anakin shut himself off. Otherwise, he'd become completely overwhelmed.

Master Yoda waited for him on the third floor, at a crossroads where the stone pathways split up into six directions. He resembled a statue with his eyes closed, legs folded, hands resting atop knees. He didn't even seem to breathe. A quick look through the Force indicated they were completely alone on the whole floor.

"Enjoy your walk, young Skywalker?"

"I did, at first, anyway," He walked up to the Grand Master, mirroring his body stance. "It's so... Different."

"Quite so," Master Yoda spoke without opening his eyes. "Great fondness for Coruscant I have. Yet, more areas such as this one would be appreciated."

"I think most Coruscanti would be shocked if they stepped through here."

"An unfortunate truth, this is," He inclined his head ever so slightly. "Yet not for you, hm?"

"It's a reprieve," Anakin breathed out, almost shivering from the Senate building. "That place, it's like being thrown back to Ohma-D'un. No, no, worse."

"Deadlier than any gas or poison cloud, the dark side is," Master Yoda's frown deepened. "Too long has it lingered around us, too long for us to pierce without the destruction of the Sith. At least, in the grander scheme."

Anakin said nothing, though a feeling told him they were about to begin whatever this training was.

"Tell me, young Skywalker, do you recall such a strong attunement to the Force from your childhood?"

"It's... Difficult to say," He answered, searching for the answer through memories of a place best left forgotten. "Tatooine is a barren planet with less life in its entirety than this single floor."

"Live in the barrens, you did not, however. Mos Eisley, I believe the name was?"

He thought harder, fighting through the trained urge to avoid going back to that place. With a series of calming breaths, the fears associated with Tatooine ever so gradually faded. Thanks in part to the effect of Master Yoda's presence. Faintly, distantly, he could recall a profound sensation from when he was a small boy. It felt as though an explosion shook him entirely, leaving him stunned and rattled. It was no physical force, though. Dimly, he recalled it happening in the middle of Mos Eisley, probably running an errand for Watto.

"Overwhelmed you were by the life and emotions of those around you, a growth pain of sorts within the Force" Master Yoda's calm voice broke the recollection. "Likely it is, you deafened yourself to the higher aspects of the Force to protect your mind."

"Is that possible? Truly?"

"Truly," He nodded. "Many Jedi, when faced with traumatic experiences, perform such feats to survive. Otherwise, only death awaits them. A lesser being would have become deafened to the Force entirely."

Anakin smiled wrily. "Guess its a good thing that didn't happen. Otherwise, I don't think I'd have gotten off Tatooine alive."

"Fortunate it is. What is not, is our inability to sense this before, of great help it would have been."

"Well, that is my fault. I wasn't exactly very receptive to other Jedi, even Obi-Wan, until recently..."

"You speak the truth, partially," Master Yoda's ears dropped. "Fault lies with the Order as well. Too much we have looked to the horizon, instead of what is around us here, now! A mistake born from me."

Anakin kept silent, out of respect and shock from seeing Master Yoda so downtrodden. He opened his eyes and looked to the young Jedi.

"Not always did I rely on perceiving the future, particularly when I was young, a mere two centuries old. In my youth, more prone I was to act on instinct, favoring it even. Yet, when this path brought death and destruction to many an innocent no longer could I walk it. Never had I witnessed such an event before."

"I thought the Republic was at peace until recently?"

"Peace in the grander sense, yes. Yet evil has always lurked about, always present in some form, though never as great as in this current age. From this incident ever after, a strong advocate of the Unifying Force I became. To perceive the future in all its myriad forms and aid peace and prosperity through these premonitions. To prevent needless death and destruction before it should even come to pass. For many centuries thereafter, precisely this we accomplished. Now, we cannot do so, have not been able to do so for many years, yet foolishly clung on I did."

"And you believe my connection to the Living Force can help us get an advantage?" Anakin asked, hoping to help Master Yoda's mood by moving away from the troubling thoughts occupying him.

"The Living Force is to perceive the life of those around you, it is a gift of profound empathy. Perhaps the greatest possible expression of it."

"And with it, I could be able to spot out any deceit or secrets during the investigation."

"Quite so," He smiled, faintly. "Though the Living Force can touch the lives of many around you, the fog of the dark side clouds even this, muddying what can be perceived through fear on a grand scale."

"But if I hone in on just one person at a time, in my vicinity..."

"Then impaired your perceptions, they will not be to such a degree. Though a perfect method, it is not. For not all beings are created equal and those with great prowess in hiding their true selves, a great challenge they will represent. Yet quickly we must act for the investigation will come underway tomorrow afternoon already and leave before then I must."

Anakin's eyebrows shot up. "Leave? How? Where?"

"To the Kashyyyk system. Information on a Separatist invasion we have attained and an important world it is for the Republic."

Remembering the last reports of the Outer Rim sieges, Anakin had to begrudgingly admit the validity of the statement. Kashyyyk was a nexus for hyperlanes connecting several key routes throughout the galaxy such as the Perlemian Trade Route, Corellian Run and allegedly some ancient routes from Hutt Space to the Core Worlds. From this system, they could outflank several key Republic fleets and even strike at Coruscant once more, if they so desired. A key system but once again, Anakin didn't know why Master Yoda of all people had to leave. Evidently the question didn't need verbal asking.

"Great relations I have with the Wookiees and my absence noted it must be if Sidious is to be drawn out."

Then it dawned on him. "Sidious knows about your familiarity with the currents of the Force. If you stayed here, he'd cloak himself with the dark side for fear of your perceptions."

"Of mine yes, but of yours? Familiar he is not as."

"That's why you warned me to keep my perceptions limited with the Chancellor and why we're training here. From inside the Fountains Room, Sidious won't be able to notice my new powers in the Force, this place is shielding us from the dark side," Anakin smiled. "And you'll be close enough to Coruscant to come back if something goes wrong."

Yoda smiled back. "Wiser you are becoming, but much to learn you still have."

"Then let's get to it."

"Close your eyes and perceive the Room in its entirety."

Anakin did so, relaxing his whole body with an exhale. The kaleidoscope of Force signatures belonging to life around him reformed itself, dazzling in the best and worst way possible. The urge to move away from the sheer, endless vastness of it quickly came back.

"Focus, young Skywalker, focus," Master Yoda's voice echoed through the dazzling sensation. "Find those whose signatures ripple through the Force."

It was a simple enough instruction but useful, Anakin felt a momentary pang of frustration at himself for not discerning it sooner. Though it seemed there was a complex weave of moving patterns all around him, most living things he could sense throughout the Room were static, flowers standing in place. They only ever moved if something else prompted them to, like people walking, running or jumping in, out and around them. Anakin was curious to see what a truly static world of lush flora would look like. No sentients, no buildings, no alterations of its natural habitat in any way, shape or form. Maybe once the war was done he could afford himself the luxury.

He honed in on one signature of his choosing, belonging to an Ithorian youngling traversing through the upper levels with his clan.

"What do you see from the child?"

"He's... Bored. He wants to go back to practicing with his lightsaber..." Anakin said in a sleepy voice, drawing every word out, even when the child's feelings brought a smile to his face. "They just had a class for basic practice."

"More reverence for nature, his species tends to show."

"It's not that he doesn't care, it's just that he already knows everything his instructor is talking about."

"Repetition," Master Yoda said with faint amusement. "The bane of many youths."

"His clanmate is annoyed by him, a Thrandoshan walking to his left. I think the two of them had a sparring match before..."

"Think or know?"

Anakin peered more closely. "That and the Ithorian being a know it all."

"What else can you reveal?"

Anakin continued to perceive the dozens of younglings moving through groups in pairs or alone through the Room's seven levels. With each one it became easier and easier to peer past the flora and move from initiate to initiate, sometimes switching his focus between floors with increasing ease. The children were, naturally, easy to sense. Their abilities in the Force and ordinary mental fortitude were rudimentary at best. Even the more introverted children, whose emotions and thoughts were of a slightly greater difficulty to sense out, weren't that much harder to discern.

No, the greater challenge came from the older students and especially the adults. The Padawans who either meditated, studied or trained, naturally had greater mental shields up even while relaxing. Some of those came from inherent training, others from the Padawan's own more reserved personalities. The last group was one Anakin was more familiar with on a personal level: out of fear. The stiff way they seemed to walk or train about, the pangs of fear they seemed to have every so often whenever a suspicious sound was heard. These were Padawans who'd been on the battlefields, who tried and sometimes failed to find some measure of inner peace from it all.

The adults felt similar though more intense emotions. When Anakin could discern them. These were trained Jedi Knights or Masters, men and women from across the galaxy with great mental discipline. Even inside the Room of a Thousand Fountains, they seemed incapable or unwilling to fully relax. What this was born from was his objective and frequently, Anakin was stonewalled in discovering what. It wasn't enough to know someone was anxious or afraid, it was why that mattered most. Someone who was mentally guarding themselves and is nervous from a secret isn't the same as another person doing the same for another reason entirely.

It was only when Master Yoda's voice gently urged him to stop did Anakin realize just how long they'd been at it. It was still early in the morning when they began but when he looked around, he realized it was late in the afternoon. He didn't figure it out from Master Yoda or from something tangibly changing in the room, but from the fact he recalled several initiates mentioning how it was starting to get late.

In spite of this, he didn't feel fatigued one bit.

"Enough, I think it is," Master Yoda pulled himself up, his knees creaking faintly. "Far you have come in a short time, young Skywalker."

"Do you think it'll be enough for the investigation?"

"Of great help, anything you find will be," He gestured for Anakin to follow him, which he did. "Remember what has transpired today, focus on the individual, ignore all distractions from within and outside-"

"And be wary of all deception."

"Particularly those who can deceive even themselves. For theirs are the lies most difficult to discover. Trust in the Force and your fellow Jedi and to the answers we seek, you shall arrive."

Anakin accepted the advice with a silent nod.

"A great many things shall come to pass soon," Master Yoda said gravely, his cane rhythmically striking against the stone. "Long have the Sith machinations bore down on us, and whether they bear the fruit or not shall be determined."

"You believe my premonitions are of the future?"

"Perhaps you perceived something subconsciously through the Force, perhaps the dark side merely intended to sow fear within you or perhaps both. Leaving matters to chance, we will not. No longer safe for us, Coruscant is."

Anakin stopped for a moment, staring at him before rushing briefly to catch up. "You mean we're leaving Coruscant?"

"Not in great numbers, not yet but to remain here, where our enemy is in such control? Inviting disaster, it would be. The Council discussed it before you returned to the Temple, measures to ensure the survival of the Jedi have already begun. Spend the rest of the evening solidifying them I will."

"Are any paths left safe? Grievous and Dooku already used hyperspace lanes that were supposed to be classified."

"Many pathways exist through the galaxy and long has Coruscant been my home," He smiled wrily. "Not all of them, did I reveal to others. Put to where our young, our future will go, determined it must be."

"What about the Jedi already out fighting?"

Master Yoda sighed. "Fight on, they must. Our retreat must be done in-secret, an open withdrawal of Knights and Masters cannot happen. Not yet. But abandoned them we have not, either. Warnings, only for their eyes and ears have already been sent out, to beware the clones."

Once more, Anakin felt struck by the idea then hurried back to Master Yoda's side. The thought of the clones turning against them was preposterous in his mind. They'd fought together for so many years, shared so many victories and losses. For the clones to ever consider betraying them at the behest of a Sith... It was beyond a troubling thought. They walked through the rest of the third level without speaking, it wasn't until they reached the staircase leading up and down the various levels that Anakin felt the urge to ask something that he'd been meaning to for a while now.

"Master."

"Hrm?"

"Do you really think the Chancellor is Darth Sidious?"

The ancient Grand Master did not answer immediately, only frowning thoughtfully up at the young Jedi by his side. He didn't immediately say yes but nor did he deny, though. The silence said much before he ultimately even spoke.

"Many centuries, have I lived. Many beings have I encountered. Those you may see as good and those you may see as evil and everything in-between. For many years, I viewed Palpatine as one of the former yet many things have transpired that have shaken my faith in him. Too many. I cannot say what he is: Sith Lord, Sith puppet, a good man corrupted by power alone or a good man placed in an unfortunate situation..."

"But?"

"But if he is any of those first three things, then a grave threat he will present to the Jedi, to the Republic and democracy. Should Palpatine be absolved of any association with the Sith yet does not yield his dictatorial powers, move against him, we must regardless."

There was no hesitation when Master Yoda said those words, he was as honest and transparent to Anakin as Anakin was to him mere hours ago. It was comforting but also... frightening. Anakin almost wished Palpatine was merely being used as a scapegoat or unwitting pawn in the conflict between Jedi and Sith. He really would rather not have to fight his friend if things truly escalated to that degree.

And from the look Master Yoda gave him before descending the staircase, he wished it didn't come to that either.

About twenty minutes later, after wishing each other farewell and the Force being with them, Anakin and Master Yoda parted, one heading back into war while the other to Obi-Wan's quarters. Briefly, he considered perhaps practicing outside the Room of a Thousand Fountains but thought against it. Even inside the temple, the faint chill of the dark side stuck to the walls like a disgusting ooze. He wasn't about to give Sidious, whoever he was, an edge by tipping off his new perceptions.

Once he arrived there, he was not surprised in the least to find Obi-Wan and Master Windu sitting across from one another. The desk full of datapads, communication links and a holoprojector installed onto it. Obi-Wan was busy running a hand through his hair when the doors slid open while Master Windu's usually stern expression was infinitesimally sterner enough to show how tired he felt as well.

"Good evening, Masters." He bowed.

"Hello, Anakin"

"Good evening to you as well, Anakin."

"I could prepare some tea-"

"No, no, I'll handle that," Obi-Wan hurriedly said, almost scrapping the chair seat against the stone floor. "Why don't you take a seat while Master Windu informs you of what we've planned so far."

Master Windu observed the small scene with a raised eyebrow, one he directed at Anakin once he sat down to the Council member's left, between him and Obi-Wan.

"He hates my tea," Anakin explained. "Says I make it too bitter."

"Bitter usually helps one stay awake."

"That's what I say too but he never listens to me."

"Oh, I listen to you," Obi-Wan emerged from the kitchen, deftly carrying three hot cups in two hands with the ease of one of Dex's droid waitresses. "I simply cannot abide by foul tea. How was your training with Master Yoda?"

"It went smoothly," Anakin said after a sip. "It was challenging seeing through the signatures of all the plant life at first but that shouldn't be a problem tomorrow."

"Quite so," Master Windu replied, activating the holoprojector showcasing the inner and outer workings of 500 Republica. All one thousand some stories of it. With a flick of his wrist, the schematic focused on central level 500 where one of many security rooms was situated. "Obi-Wan and I will begin our questioning there, the room is completely isolated, only one way in or out."

"The investigation is so far being kept a script secret between Chancellor Palpatine himself and members of the Council. Isard provided for us a complete schematic of the structure and suggested various points from which to conduct our questioning."

"I see," Anakin looked from one to the other. "You're planning on letting the residents go about their business normally, then when tomorrow's Senate session is complete, initiate a lockdown of the building."

"Precisely," Master Windu nodded. "Not even security is being tightened in the meantime. Not from what anyone living there can notice, anyway. Everything must appear normal to ensure no one sees anything suspicious and tries to escape from us."

"Certain individuals with physical attributes not fitting the footprints we believe belong to Sidious will be left alone," Obi-Wan said, handing Anakin a datapad of those deemed potential suspects. "They shall be allowed to enter and exit the building at their leisure."

Just a glance at the number of people left who could fill Sidious's position made Anakin's head hurt more than hours of intense Force concentration did. Politicians of varying ranks, their own personnel, businessmen, celebrities and even security personal. However, one thing he did notice was a great number of Senators, even ones who'd fit the footprints, being left exempt.

"The footprints weren't our only criteria," Obi-Wan explained, reading Anakin's expression. "According to the autopsy reports performed on Dyne and the investigation team, they were killed during the early hours of Coruscant's attack."

"Much of the Senate was in session when the Separatists struck," Master Windu said. "And from various cameras and reports, we can verify they wouldn't have been there soon enough to perform the act. Indeed, many of those who attempted to reach 500 Republica were shot out of the sky before getting anywhere close to it."

"Like Bail Organa and Padmé," Anakin said, momentarily surprised by the ease of which he spoke about his wife in front of them before scrolling on. Among the top suspects was one name he was not surprised to find, knew would be there but still dearly wished it wasn't. "Chancellor Palpatine left the session early, he was there a good two hours before the first engagements started."

"Yet, there is one other who may fit even better," Master Windu said with some reluctance, exchanging glances with Obi-Wan. "Mas Ameda. While many of the Senators escaped to 500 Republica, the Vice-Chancellor and others hunkered down in one of many bunkers situated underneath the Rotunda. They didn't come out until Palpatine himself was 100% confirmed to be safe in our hands."

"And with Sidious being here for who knows how long, there may be tunnels connecting 500 Republica and that bunker..." Anakin continued.

"Such as one to allow a Sith Lord to reach 500 Republica, murder people hot on his trail and return to safety while no one is the wiser." Master Windu concluded.

These and many other candidates amidst countless more deliberations and speculations continued long into the night. Some more plausible than others. Some bringing more tensions out than the rest. Yet, when the time came to part, all three Jedi, in silence, to one another and to the rest of the galaxy, split apart and went to sleep with a non-spoken view to reveal the truth. No matter how painful or shocking it may be for some of them. They could do no less as Knights of the Republic.


	13. Chapter 13

Anakin sat in the Jedi shuttle, chin resting against gloved, metal knuckles. Outside the Temple's hangar, the afternoon sun shined through, accentuating the numerous towers of the Senate District off in the distance. One of them stuck out more than the rest, the tallest one and among the largest on the entire planet: 500 Republica. Calling it only a tower, however, was a disservice. It was more of a mountain made of durasteel and permacrete, reaching so high its spire at the pinnacle went above the clouds. The crown of this spire made it into the platform of a planetary level plasma gun capable of shooting down vessels well into the upper atmosphere of Coruscant.

The crown wasn't the only part of 500 Republica adorned with incredible technology. Over 50 skydocks and hundreds of turbolifts were either situated or ran through the entirety of the building. Thousands of rooms for housing, concerts, medical and security needs comprised its various accommodations. A small army of security staff capable of defending this place from any assault lived there perpetually. They were only rivaled in number by the equally numerous politicians, aids, celebrities and such making it their primary residence. Throughout its entire 1000 story length of square kilometers, there were entire planets possibly even entire star systems completely outclassed by what comprised the home of Coruscant's elite.

The very same elite who were no doubt either shock, bloody furious or some combination of both.

Master Windu and Obi-Wan, along with a sizable force of clone troopers and Republic intelligence personnel, were currently securing the entirety of the building. Making sure no one unwanted could come in our out. Skydocks were being shut down, armed soldiers surrounded as much of the place as they could. People were being put in lines, each person in those lines checked several times over before being split off into two groups, suspects and non-suspects. Everyone in the first group was to stay put and wait until their questioning was completed, everyone else could go about their business so long as it didn't interfere with the investigation.

The indignation, shock, and fear present in the building were no doubt palpable. Anakin voiced his own concerns about this, how this act reminded him of the various Security Act procedures. There were no raids obviously nor was anyone being hauled off to prison without due process on the basis of being born into an "enemy species" but it still left a sour taste in his mouth. But when asked for an alternative by Master Windu the night before, he couldn't offer one. Him or Obi-Wan. Short of spending months, possibly even years circumnavigating to find someone who'd proven themselves adept at hiding in plain sight, creating a choke point was the only way to entrap the Sith.

And none of the Council believed they had that much time left, if anything, everything would reach its conclusion within weeks. Possibly even just days. Even if all of them collectively knew for a fact the Supreme Chancellor was beyond any suspicion, an absolutely trustworthy ally, it wouldn't actually change much. Where, how and through whom the Sith Lord controlled the Republic would remain the core issue. The ways of corruption were as numerous as the number of representatives within the Senate and one as deftly capable of navigating through them meant no one outside the Order could be trusted. Not the Senators, not Republic intelligence and not even the clones.

It was, for this reason, a series of Jedi strike teams, unknown even to the army currently occupying 500 Republica, were situated near the towering building. Their purpose was two-fold: provide support for the Jedi inside should Sidious be discovered and back-up was required and to help the Jedi inside escape if the enemy turned their trap for him against them. Two more strike teams had already been sent out under the Rotunda to discover if any tunnels connecting 500 Republica and the Senatorial bunkers existed. Other notable Knights and Masters were performing such failsafes throughout the Temple as well.

Younglings were already being sent away through secret passageways built underneath the Temple, into shuttles which would carry them via equally secret hyperspace lanes to parts unknown to almost anyone. Many of these same vessels already carried the great knowledge of the Jedi with them, far away from Coruscant. Jedi not back home, beyond tangible support or the ability to retreat from the battlefields themselves lest they provoke the enemy were nonetheless afforded warnings to be wary of absolutely anyone not in the Order. Even their own troops.

Such was the precarious situation the Jedi found themselves in. Any number of things could go impossibly wrong for them at any given moment. Any number of individuals or organizations friendly to them could become a terrible enemy. It was the knife's edge the Order had to walk now. Partly from the machinations of the Sith but also their own faults. It was a situation Anakin still found unbelievable to a certain extent. But that was born out of a remaining childish notion of preserving the status quo, such as it was. Weeks ago, he would've thought the Order losing grip on reality, chasing ghosts or running away from them. But he had too many doubts of his own, suspicions of blades waiting in the dark to strike to think otherwise.

His own part to play was as a lie detector and intermediary between Masters Obi-Wan, Windu and the strike teams overall leader, Master Saesee Tiin. Anakin would land at the only sky dock left open and sit down in a small room just underneath the one the questioning was to take place. From there, he would sit in a meditative position and observe through the currents of the Force for duplicity and deceit from the myriad of people to be questioned in the coming days. Then, every so often through the Force, he would contact Master Tiin through brief telepathic flashes. One to indicate everything was fine, two if fighting was to break out.

The Iktochi Jedi was one of the longest-serving members on the Council, a reserved individual who's tendency to keep to himself and appearance made him seem unapproachable. A trait that extended into him never taking on an apprentice. He was also fiercely loyal to the Jedi Order and a proven battle commander, one of the finest leading the Grand Army of the Republic. What made him an important player in recent events was his known telepathic abilities, a well-known trait among his species who were barred from most casinos. The skill to knowingly or unknowingly reach into another person's mind and perceive that which they may not wish to reveal.

A perfect instructor to take up Master Yoda's place while they practiced precisely this within the Room of a Thousand Fountains throughout from dusk to midday that day. Though he seemed as stern as Master Windu, it was only a cover to mask an individual who Anakin couldn't help but like. He was bold, sending his entire army out of a falling Republic ship and stealing one from the Separatists. The next reason was his passion for flying and starfighters. Oh, many Jedi could fly better than most regular pilots but he'd rarely encountered one for a true passion for the skill of flying. Its tricks, maneuvers, the inner workings of the machines. In this regard, Master Tiin was the complete antithesis of Obi-Wan. Their short conversations on the subject even managed to bring out the reserved Iktochi's sense of humor.

Anakin had always been somewhat nervous around him, more so than several other Council members and felt sorry now for misjudging the man.

If there was something he could unquestionably be grateful for in this "labyrinth of evil" as Masters Yoda and Windu called it, it was the securing of his family's safety. He'd asked Obi-Wan and Master Windu if they could put Padmé and the twins under Jedi protection, just-in-case his premonitions were unavoidable. He needn't have bothered, Master Yoda already picked and recalled two Jedi who were perfect for the task. When Anakin heard their names and recalled their accomplishments, he wholeheartedly agreed with the assessment. Not just anyone could fool Dooku and his Dark Acolytes.

Still, when he called Padmé that evening, informing her that he would be staying at the Temple, Anakin felt guilty for withholding so much information from her. Particularly when so much of it pertained to her friends in the Senate. After opening himself up to his fellow Jedi, going back to secrecy with her of all people was another bitter pill to swallow.

Eventually, thankfully, the comlink beeped affirmatively. It was time to get things underway. The shuttle ride was brief, getting him to the allotted sky dock in less than 30 minutes. As expected, the guards stationed there were briefly told to leave and if the cameras were shut off as per other orders, Anakin would get inside with no one seeing him. The mountain that was 500 Republica towered over him, enhanced by the effect of a heavy wind beating against his body on the way to the door.

Once inside, he was greeted by an empty hallway with dozens of doors. He took the one to his immediate right and following a special code provided for him, locked it shut. It was a small waiting room, decorated in such a way to provide whoever stepped of a possibly long flight the chance to relax for a bit while waiting to see someone or travel to their proper accommodations. Anakin pushed aside the durasteel table and expensive chairs, placing them into the corners of the room. He sat down in a meditative position, dominant hand gripping his lightsaber just-in-case and closed his eyes.

Then, when he reached out through the Force to the floor immediately above him, Anakin fought the urge to immediately snap them open from pure shock.

* * *

"Is there anything amiss, Master Kenobi?"

"Beyond my surprise at seeing you, Supreme Chancellor?" He smiled at the older man sitting across the table from him. "Nothing at all."

Even decades of Jedi training could not wholly hide the shock Obi-Wan felt when Palpatine walked through that door. Regal but friendly-looking, flanked by two of his Red Guard left outside. In the hours since arriving there, his seemingly unshakable demeanor withstood dozens of blows from all sides. Firstly, from himself. Much like Anakin, this kind of approach did not sit well with him, invading 500 Republica and corraling people into one group or another as though they were cattle.

The commotion, for he used that word quite loosely, that followed from this was contained but readily apparent. Anyone with any developed social skills or empathy, nevermind Force based perceptions, could read the room. Dismay, paralyzing fear and so much more prevailed across every room he and Mace walked across. It inevitably led to hate, as fear and anger always do. Obi-Wan thought his years of fighting on worlds which were outwardly hostile to the Jedi and the Republic would prepare him. But to see it here, on Coruscant, in his own home? It was troubling. Even Mace could not wholly contain it. Once or twice, there was a momentary but unmistakable flash of regret in his eyes. Particularly when Senator's with good relations to the Jedi were quick to call them out.

The most common accusation flung at them was: "Why are you wasting time with this?! Why are you not hunting down Grievous?". Obi-Wan tried his best to calm these tensions, to explain in somewhat certain terms that this was necessary, an important step in ending the war. Some were cooled by his words, most were not. If anything, it only added incredulity and further hostility to the entire... Proceedings.

Public support for the order, save for Anakin, was already battered and bruised. This would do little to help it, particularly if Sidious squirms his way out of it and they're left with absolutely nothing at all. Now, this happened: the arrival of Chancellor Palpatine, not there to possibly help calm his fellow politicians and social elite members down but to apparently answer their questions. It was so sudden neither he nor Mace had the opportunity to even warn Anakin. To his credit, Obi-Wan's former student did not give himself away through the Force, even if he was most assuredly more shocked than his superiors.

"I must apologize for that, some urgent matters required my attention and well... " He smiled wrily, almost conspiratorially. "Quite a few of my aides and direct colleagues are indisposed at the moment."

"I'm sure they have nothing to worry about, sir," Obi-Wan kept smiling. Mace simply nodded, not betraying any hints of surprise.

"It is the outcome I desire," Palpatine's smile imperceptibly faded, his voice laced with worry. But it passed as quickly as it came, his strength restored. "That is why I have come here, to discover the identity of this Darth Sidious, you will need a full account of what transpired on the day of Grievous' heinous attack upon our capital world."

"We are all ears, Chancellor," Mace said as diplomatically as he could, gesturing for him to speak at his own pace.

"Truth be told, the day began in a way most would find unwelcome but I've grown quite used to, I did not sleep at all that night. It is," He said with reluctance and more than a hint of embarrassment. "A condition I've suffered for a number of years now."

"A medical one?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"Nothing quite so simple, this is exclusively a matter of the mind and one entirely of my own making. I would like to call it a consequence of my position and the growing responsibilities for a whole galaxy but I fear it is of a more sinister origin."

"Sinister in what way?" Mace asked, eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"Politics was not always of interest to me, as impossible as it may seem," He laughed, Obi-Wan smiled along with it while Mace merely raised an eyebrow. "It was spurned by a chance encounter with a Muun known as Odatt Par, a businessman as quite a few Muun are. He was a guest of my father at the time and I was to entertain him with all the reluctance of impetuous, willful youth. However, even then I was not so foolish as to ignore his advice and from this single encounter my aspirations for politics, for better or worse, began there. I remained in close contact with Odatt for many, many years. Even after he'd secluded himself away for fear of his own life."

His mood darkened then, lip slightly curling. "Men came to kill him, many times but each one Odatt survived. Until the final attempt claimed his life. He was murdered in his sleep by someone he thought he could trust. I began to wonder: in this galaxy where strife seemed to stir, would I befall the same fate? After all, I am the Supreme Chancellor after all."

"You never mentioned this to anyone in the Order," Mace said matter of factly.

"Nor to even those within my inner circle. I suppose it would... Defeat the point of constant alertness if anyone knew I was enforcing it upon myself. And..." Palpatine took a deep breath, his shoulders sagging. He appeared more vulnerable than Obi-Wan had ever seen him. "I was worried others would begin to question me, to wonder if I was unsuited to my position."

"Not without good reason," Mace said, unaffected by the display. "A leader who cannot rest properly can make for a poor one."

"Quite so, though," Palpatine smiled self-deprecatingly. "Though I would like to think I've done as well as I can, given the various circumstances."

"These are trying times for all of us," Obi-Wan spoke empathetically though not only for that reason, the conversation had veered far off course. "And to end them, I believe we must continue the purpose for our being here."

"Of course, of course," Palpatine nodded along, clearing his throat. "After spending the sleepless night wondering about a great many matters, all of which concerned the war in some form or another, I left my suite for a change of scenery. I arrived at 500 Republica some 20 minutes later. Pestage was in a... Mood, from my abrupt departure but I did not pay much heed to it. It would not be the first or last time my schedule was altered from my own necessities or someone else'.

"After that, I showered, changed my clothes while re-organizing my schedule when Director Isard personally barged into my room to tell me-"

A knocking sound was heard from the other side of the doors with Director Isard himself entering a moment later. At nearly two feet tall, Armand Isard would have stood out among any company, the white stripe of hair running through his otherwise black curls ensured so. From Mace's own encounters with the man, he was a cold man, devoted to his position but also quite prickly. An estimation Obi-Wan found accurate when his blue, piercing gaze laid eyes upon him during their first meeting mere hours ago.

Now, however, there was something else behind the seemingly usual demeanor of his. An almost incontrollable... Excitement?

"Supreme Chancellor, Masters Kenobi, and Windu," He addressed them all, though his eyes were trained only at Palpatine.

"You were told not to disturb us," Mace said and Isard looked at him only then, a bitting remark no doubt playing at the edge of his nearly unmoving jaw.

"I am quite certain Director Isard would not do so if it was not of great importance," Obi-Wan interjected mildly, curious to see what was happening.

"You are right, Master Kenobi," Isard said with begrudging professionalism. "More right than you realize. I've just received word from one of our agents far in the Outer Rim and have acquired the visual proof to verify its authenticity from his probe droid."

Isard smiled then, his blue eyes and white teeth giving him the appearance of a predator. "We've found the entire Separatist leadership on Utapau."

* * *

It must have been the fifth time Anakin and most of the other Council members had seen the footage play out and likely the tenth for Obi-Wan and Master Windu who sat next to him. Isard's footage did not lie, showcasing the seemingly uninhabitable world of Utapau in all its desolate glory from the point of view of an observation droid. The device flew throughout the mountainous hole acting as the city for the native populace, making its silent way through a series of vast, interconnected black and grey pumps.

Until it caught sight of them: the Separatist leadership. Not just the likes of Nute Gunray or Poggle the Lesser. Not simply General Grievous but also Count Dooku. The assembled group conversed about something the droid could not pick up, even its visual feed was stretched to the limit thanks to the maximized zoom option of its sole, optical eye. But there was no doubt about it, they were all there and the footage was just an hour old.

Chancellor Palpatine's unexpected but willing questioning was brought to an end with this, Master Windu and Obi-Wan both had to leave, to consult with his fellow Jedi. They connected to the holoprojector to the Council one, summoned an immediate meeting of all available members and observed the footage time and time again.

Master's Mundi and Koon were absent this time, the demands of fighting made it impossible for them to be present. They were replaced by Master's Tiin, Fisto and Shaak Ti. Anakin could not sense what any of them felt, he didn't want to let Sidious potentially learn of his perceptions but he could try assuming from his own thoughts and feelings.

It was a golden opportunity, a chance to take down the entire Separatist leadership and finish this bloody war by day's end. It was the kind of victory you could only ever dream about and that was what made it too good to be true.

"He's making fools of us," Master Kolar said gravely.

"Have to agree with Agen here," Master Fisto said, trying to sound his usual easy-going self. "This information drops on us just when we've set up this whole investigation? Right in the middle of Palpatine's questioning?"

"And yet the footage is authentic," Master Windu reminded them. "I questioned Isard of its authenticity enough times to irritate myself. There is no doubt about it."

"There's no doubt about Isard's honesty either," Anakin, reluctantly, spoke up. "He was as transparent about it as can be."

"Transparent in his own belief, yes," Master Tiin said, getting looks of surprise from most of his fellow Council members. "Yet, what Isard believes may not be the truth. We should have our own people to validate the authenticity of the footage."

"Palpatine suggested the same," Obi-Wan said. "He believes in Isard and wishes for the swift end to the Clone Wars once and for all."

"Just suggested," Master Kolar repeated, a dark look on his face. "Not commanded, not yet."

"We are caught," Master Ti said with a sigh. "We are caught so thoroughly we have no choice but to fight. Thanks to his new powers, Palpatine can tell us to attack anyone he wants us to. If we try to resist him, Sith or no Sith, he will have grounds to act against us for it."

"And our reputation with the Senate just took a blow," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head. "We've earned no friends today, more than likely we've lost quite a few."

"We're about to lose more," Master Fisto sighed in an unusually downtrodden voice. "We're talking about fighting Dooku and Grievous here, together. It'll take the combined power of more Jedi and even then, it won't be a guaranteed victory."

"Two," Master Windu said matter of factly. "Just two but they are two I would rather not send away."

Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged glances and for the first time, the former found the idea of going out to fight distinctly unpleasing. The rest of the Council looked at the two of them and they were all united in this sentiment as well.

"Yet," Master Windu sighed, revealing his palms to the others. "I don't know who else to send? I can't leave here, the investigation, such as it is, must continue and the enemy will find out if Master Yoda is diverted there. Not to speak ill of you, my fellow Jedi, but I don't think anyone else here can defeat a pair like Dooku and Grievous."

Master's Kolar and Tiin said nothing, Master Fisto nodded along with the assessment while Master Ti leaned back in her seat, looking distinctly ashamed. Anakin felt a pang of sympathy for her, suffering two terrible losses at the hands of a creature like Grievous. There was a reason he was infamous for his ability to instill fear in the Jedi. It was a look he'd seen on Master Mundi's face as well when Anakin asked him about the fight on Hypori years ago.

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan said, slowly and mildly, exchanging looks with everyone present. Anakin knew just from his tone of voice he'd figured something out. "We can turn this situation to our advantage. All of the Separatist leadership is there, we know this. Assuming nothing changes in the time it takes us to arrive at Utapau, we may be able to capture at least one of them. Most preferably-"

"Nute Gunray," Anakin concluded with a smile. "You want someone to capture Gunray, get him out of there and use him to find out who Sidious is."

"Precisely," Obi-Wan returned it. "We will, of course, strive to bring them all in. However, Gunray is the one we know for certain has spoken with Darth Sidious. From him, we may be able to circumnavigate around the investigation altogether."

"Sidious will expect this," Master Kolar pointed out. "I find it unlikely he won't have contingencies in place."

"At the very least they'll be very well guarded," Master Fisto said. "And if the clones are in the Sith's pocket-"

"That won't present a problem," Master Windu interrupted with a certain... satisfaction, in his voice. When Anakin looked at him, he stared at the grim smile across his face. "Not for the force I have in-mind. For they are unlike any other in the Grand Army of the Republic and absolutely loyal to their Jedi general."

* * *

**A/N: And with that, the story is going into a sort of hiatus. College is back on and so I have to study for multiple exams. I may try to put out a chapter or two here and there through the next ten or so days but don't count on it. As is, I think the story is about half-way finished. It'll probably run up to 25-30 chapters maximum. Until I come back, feel free to speculate where it'll go or re-read what already exists to hold yourselves over ;)**


	14. Chapter 14

It was amazing what a difference only 48 hours could do when you're going someplace, or more accurately returning to it. On his initial return to Coruscant, seeing Padmé's though technically their, apartment was a refreshing change of pace from the endless trenches, battlefields, and Venator-class interiors. It was an oasis, for lack of a better word. From politics, war, Jedi, Sith and all the rest of the galaxy both of them had to deal with regularly. It was a place where they could, briefly, just be married like ordinary people.

But it was also a bittersweet place for them. Where they frequently told one another goodbye, possibly for the last time every time. It made every departure just as hard if not harder than the last. A similar but far more potent apprehension about leaving hung over Anakin's thoughts like a storm cloud. Except a hundred times worse. Before, there was an understanding that Coruscant was safe, even if everything else went to Hell out there, this place would hold strong. It couldn't be further from the truth and now he had to leave all over again. Even Anakin's breathing exercise was being put to the limit as he rode the frankly claustrophobic, secret turbolift up hundreds of stories to the top.

It didn't get any easier even when he could breathe normally once it stopped and the wall hiding it slid open. Anakin saw the central hallway stretch out before him, dimmed lights adorning its sides to fit the evening mood. Stepping outside, he spotted two sets of staircases leading up to the veranda. He could faintly hear the fountain water at the center of it bubbling away. However, it was what he couldn't see yet that brought a soothing feeling to wash over him, dispelling the events of the day into nothingness.

He stood there, smiling, eyes closed and perceptions focused on the three living beings just a short walk away on the veranda. Their signature in the Force remained impossibly pure and bright, even drowning out the brief flashes of worry coming off of Padmé like a beacon. Anakin dearly wished he could take a piece of this sensation with him, carry it out into upcoming battles. Even Obi-Wan's soothing presence couldn't compare.

_Guess I'll just have to enjoy it while it lasts... _Anakin thought as he refocused his attention to everything else within the apartment. The fleeting sensations left in the Force from visitors, security personnel and others moving to and from the place through the past day or so. It was what or rather who he couldn't sense whatsoever that brought another smile to his face before finally ascending the staircase.

Before even reaching its top, Anakin was already greeted by the lights of Coruscant's Senate District illuminating the night sky. Millions if not billions of them coming from homes, business offices and numerous flying rows of vehicles provided a sight almost unparalleled on the entire planet as far as he was concerned, especially in the very early morning. Only the view from one of the Jedi Temple's spires beat it out. The effect was enhanced by the dim lights in the sitting room itself. The disk-shaped lamps were set to a low setting as was the illuminator.

Padmé sat or rather leaned against the left sofa, attention focused on the view outside while both hands gently stroked her stomach through the nightgown. Anakin gently walked over to her, slowing his pace to take in the third goddess of Naboo on the veranda before gently and noiselessly sitting next to her. She wasn't frightened or even surprised by his presence at all, instead, she immediately leaned into his shoulder while his left arm went around her shoulders. Through the Force, he sensed both of their tensions ease from each other's company and the twins, simple but very sensitive beings nonetheless, shined even brighter with their parents together again.

It was a feeling the whole family enjoyed in pleasant silence. Of course, it couldn't last.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about what would happen at 500 Republica," Anakin spoke after a long while, running a hand over her belly. "I know we... Frightened a lot of your friends and colleagues with it."

"I know you are," She answered, taking his gloved hand into hers. "You wouldn't keep this a secret from me unless it was extremely important."

"It was," He sighed. "Maybe the most important thing that's happened on Coruscant so far."

"But it didn't work out...?"

Anakin smiled ruefully. "No, nothing about it went like I expected or wanted. Not in the good way I've been getting surprised lately either."

She shifted position just enough to look up at him and the concern was painfully apparent across her face. "Talk to me, what's going on? Ever since you went to meet with the Council I've felt... Something wrong from you..."

He was very tempted to try and deflect it with a joke about her developing Jedi powers but stopped himself. The circumstances were far too gone to fall back on old, bad habits.

"I told the Council everything, about us, the twins and they're letting me stay in the Order," He decided to start with that, it would be easier for both of them to get the good news out of the way first. "I won't be getting invited to join the other Masters there any time in the next few decades but I'm still in Order itself and they've agreed to help us with anything we need. For ourselves and the kids."

She let out a relieved, silent sigh from the news, almost melting in his arms. He really, really wanted that to be the only thing to tell her but the war, as always, wouldn't let them be.

"But that's not all after I talked to them about our situation... Master Windu took the floor... He told me, told all of us... About a Sith Lord, right here on Coruscant, goes by the name of Darth Sidious" Anakin's lip curled and his family's presence was just barely enough to unclench the sudden tightness in his chest. "They tracked him to 500 Republica."

"500... Oh my..." Padmé gasped, eyes wandering about the veranda as she took in the full force of what that meant. "A-Are they sure."

"Absolutely," Anakin gravely confirmed. "Obi-Wan and I managed to track down a special holoprojector when we raided Nute Gunray's estate on Cato Neimoidia a few weeks back. We didn't get much from it except his name and a specific location in The Works. From there, Masters Windu and Shaak Ti followed a trail belonging to Dooku and Sidious both all the way to 500 Republica."

"And Grievous just so happened to attack before they could go further...?"

"Right, pretty convenient, huh?"

"Do you know anything else?" She rose, sitting up to face him. "What species he belongs to? Is he a Senator? Surely the Sith can't be in there too-"

"Palpatine," Anakin cut her off, deciding now was the time to get to the heart of the matter. "They think it's Palpatine."

Her reaction wasn't what he expected either. There was shock there certainly, from her widening eyes and the sharp intake of breath. Never mind the sensations he felt through the Force. However, it was far too... Muted. As though Anakin had revealed something she'd felt or suspected for a while. The surprise lasted only a few moments and Padmé calmed herself down with far, far greater ease than he did just days ago.

A stupid, childish instinct to snap at her crossed his mind for a minute with equally stupid questions about what she knew already and for how long. Anakin ignored it almost a quickly as it came. Padmé knew he was curious about her reaction, could tell it alone from the way she didn't quite meet his eyes for a good minute, steeling herself for something difficult of her own.

"A few Senators and I..." She started half-heartedly then took a deep breath, transforming into the person who regularly stood her ground against the representatives of thousands of systems in a matter of seconds. "We've been discussing what's been happening on Coruscant, in the Senate. How the Security Act has gotten out of control, the reports of abuse coming from across the whole planet being done to its non-human populace... And Palpatine too.

"I... I didn't really notice it until Bail said trying to get an audience with the Chancellor was like waiting for a high emperor of old, barbarian worlds to grace you with his time. It's a stupid little detail I know, I even laughed at him for it the first time. But when it kept happening over and over again, and when I started noticing how the kind, approachable man I knew started... Changing in ways I didn't like... I knew something was wrong."

"In what ways, besides just the waiting?" Anakin leaned forward, putting the husband aside in favor of the Jedi. "What did he say or do?"

"His warmongering for one," She said with a matter of fact bluntness he blinked at. "Before, there were genuine efforts of some compromise or reasonable solutions to the war. When we asked for the consideration of peaceful negotiations, Palpatine seemed to listen, we even made several potential proposals with him after long hours of deliberation. But the longer war dragged on, and the... Stronger his position became... He listened to us less and less. Any proposal or plan, no matter how far along for a peaceful resolution we put forward he rejected or half-heartedly said he'd consider. I was beginning to get the impression he was growing to dislike us more and more too, even if he kept calling us friends and how everything would be all right when we finally won.

"One time, Fang Zar actually challenged him, calling the prolonging of war nothing but opportunistic bloodshed. Palpatine... Looked at him in a way I'd never seen before, it lasted just a second but... I swear I thought he was going to attack Zar for saying that, physically. Zar must've thought so too, he quieted down after mumbling an apology. Palpatine smiling right away like a switch flipped in his head didn't make me feel any easier about that."

"... How long have you been having doubts about Palpatine?"

"A few months, since before the last time you were on shore leave."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She smiled at him then but it was one of pity. "Oh Anakin, really? Palpatine is like a kind uncle to you, he's been one of your best friends since you were a boy. You've told me a million times how great a man he is, how he'll definitely fix everything and how everyone should follow his lead no matter-"

"All right," He almost snapped again but fought the childish impulse back. His interruption thankfully came out far calmer. "All right, I... I see your point. I admit it, I wouldn't have listened if you told me then. To you or anyone else."

This, however, made Anakin pause. A simple question he didn't bother to ask himself ever since Master Windu's faithful accusation: why was he so quick to doubt the man? Nothing had changed between him and the Chancellor before that to taint Anakin's view of the man. If anything, they'd grown closer than ever before, there were things Palpatine could know nobody else was allowed to, not even Padmé. Secrets, thoughts, aspirations, and ambitions he would've rather died than to share with anyone except the Supreme Chancellor.

And just as quickly as Anakin asked himself this question, he knew the answer: because the Masters had good reason to be suspicious. Anakin felt that for himself that day, in 500 Republica, listening in on the conversation through mundane and Force-related means. Absolutely nothing Palpatine said during his whole monologue about his past was untrue, not a word of it. However, it was the way he said it that made Anakin's well-honed instincts scream. Everything he said was detailed just enough to give whoever was listening to a good enough picture of what happened but still worded in such a way there weren't any exactly precise details to look into. Or to fumble lying about.

Masters Yoda and Tiin warned him about such a tactic, how one was able to lie far more effectively to others and to themselves by simply delivering partial truths and then using clever wordplay or other phrasing answers and explanations in deliberately vague enough sounding ways to mask true intent or meaning.

Beyond even this point, however, Palpatine's advice to him from the past was wrong. Many, many times Anakin complained to him about the Jedi, how they were too rigid and incompatible with him and upon replaying these conversations... Palpatine never disagreed with him outright. He would say this Master or that was wise indeed but there was always something... else, something more Anakin could aspire to get. Something the Jedi couldn't give him, even if Palpatine never used those exact words. He was special, destined for greater things and so on. He didn't admit it to himself until that moment but all those words seemed targetted specifically to cater to Anakin's ego. And to divorce him from the Jedi...

Sometime during his considerations, Padmé put her arms around him in a hug, one he immediately returned. He must've freaked out again without even realizing, judging by the way his chest was painfully clenched and a hard lump appeared in his throat. Stretching out with the Force to his immediate vicinity, Anakin relaxed and allowed his family to wash his fears and pains away again. Yes, he'd miss them terribly when he left in the morning, back out into the war to capture General Grievous and Dooku both. The thought would've excited him like nothing else before, now? It just felt like a distraction, because the real fight would clearly be elsewhere. More than likely on Coruscant and there was no way he would be there to make sure the right people won it.

But he didn't tell that to Padmé, not yet at least. He wanted to give them both just a bit more peace of mind before the messes of the galaxy interfered with it again.

* * *

**A/N: So, this come back came out a bit shorter than I expected but I am overall pleased with the conversation. Chapters are NOT back in a regular release like in January but I'll endeavor to do as much as I can for the story update wise in the coming weeks. At the very least, I hope to sort out the Utapau & Coruscant Investigation business before the next hiatus inevitably happens.**


	15. Chapter 15

The landing pad was the organized hive of mass activity Anakin knew it would be. With Artoo at his side, the pair made their way past scores of living and mechanically personnel preparing everything they'd need to take on Utapau. To their left, one could see the district-sized landing pad stretch out far into the early morning horizon of Coruscant, its lights shining against the towering behemoths of six _Venator_-class Star Destroyers, some already preparing to leave while others were about to. Obi-Wan's ship for the mission, the _Vigilance_, was in the latter group.

Even hundreds of feet above the open ramps, Anakin could hear the rhythmic activity down below. The distinct whirr of Republic Hovertanks moving inside the assault cruisers. This was nothing next to the clones. With a picture-perfect image born from seeing them do it a thousand times before, Anakin could imagine the ranks upon ranks of troopers following behind the attack vehicles, battalions of men bred for war, marching with the synchronicity surpassing that of their Separatist counterparts.

It was a fact he once found pleasing, a sort of visual representation of the orderly galaxy that should exist. Everyone knows their place and what they can and cannot do. Palpatine and others who could be trusted to lead wielded the power to do so and everything was perfect. It had come to pass, the clones fought and answered directly and only to the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. Not the Senate or even their Jedi generals, Palpatine.

Though he still didn't want to think ill of the man or the clone troopers he'd fought alongside for so many years, recent events made this increasingly impossible. The battle droid comparison left Anakin feeling even more on edge than he already was. Luckily, there were those they could trust and one man in-particular standing just about 20 feet away was worth entire battalions all on his own. Seeing Obi-Wan lightened his burden considerably, Master Windu being there brought it right back.

Artoo let out a curious beep.

"We'll find out soon enough," Anakin let out another calming breath, recollecting the sensation of the twins through the Force with great clarity and calming himself back down. He bowed to the two senior Jedi.

"Master's," Anakin greeted them with Artoo beeping his hello at his side. "Is everything alright...?"

"Everything is proceeding as planned, Anakin," Master Windu bowed in-return. "I'm just here to see you two off."

"And to escape 500 Republica for a while longer, I suspect," Obi-Wan smiled with a knowing look at Master Windu's direction. The usually stoic Korun Jedi looked annoyed for a moment before a slyly and briefly smiling in admission.

"Your dislike of politicians must be rubbing off on me, Obi-Wan."

"Perhaps," Anakin's old teacher cast a glance at him. Though he smiled on, the ever so slight narrowing of his eyes betrayed Obi-Wan's own worries on the matter. "With any luck, we won't have to suffer it for much longer at all."

"Nothing would make me happier, Master." The reasoning behind the sentiment was clear: this business with 500 Republica and Utapau was nothing but a distraction. One more in a long, long series of smokescreens and diversionary tactics made to toy with the Jedi, split them apart while the enemy's true goals and identity stayed safe. The real battle would be fought here, and soon. They all knew this, even though the clouded shroud of the Force. And it was a battle they'd have to fight with some of their best Knights and Masters away while the rest would have to busy around with an investigation almost certain to yield nothing worthwhile. The fact Anakin's family would still be here when the explosive went off and he was away, only made things far more difficult.

But he couldn't stay behind, the very thought of Obi-Wan taking on Grievous and Dooku with anyone else at his side sent a cold chill running through Anakin's whole body. He couldn't tell what it came from: the Force, his ordinary battle-honed instincts, some lingering part of his inflated ego, simple but impractical concern or some combination of all three. However, the fact his family was protected by the Order made it far more tolerable of a choice to make. If it weren't for this added measure, Anakin knew he wouldn't be able to leave Coruscant, even for Obi-Wan's sake. Come clean to the Order had paid off again.

A beeping from Obi-Wan's comlink broke Anakin's considerations. "The _Vigilance_ is ready to depart."

"Then so must I," Master Windu extended a hand to Obi-Wan. "Take great care out there, my friends, win this war and return safely. I'll do my best to make sure you have something to come back to."

"We will, Mace, you can be certain of that."

Master Windu accepted the promise with a slight bow and then, extended a hand to Anakin as well. He took it after a moment's pause.

"We won't let you down, Master," Anakin promised, finding himself taken aback by the thought of going separate paths with the Korun Jedi. "May the Force be with you."

"And I will endeavor not to do the same," Master Windu smiled again and nodded at the two of them. "And may the Force be with you, as well."

With that, he turned and made his way into the crowd of people, his Jedi robes billowing in the wind before he vanished out of the sight. Soon after, even his presence in the Force drifted further and further away until the miasma of the dark side blotted it out. Anakin stared after him, once again feeling the compulsion to stay behind. But it was a slow battle. Before Obi-Wan's hand even touch his shoulder, Anakin turned around and walked first to the transport vessel waiting for them. His teacher and Artoo following closely behind.

Halfway there, Anakin muttered out: "Never thought I'd see the day when going to a fight would bother me this much."

"It is a credit to your wisdom when you recognize what battle is truly worth fighting at all."

Anakin gave a half-hearted smile at the compliment, recognizing if one battle was worthier over another didn't mean much when the choice was all but taken out of your hands. He suspected Obi-Wan thought this too because his Master didn't push the subject further than that. Instead, they entered the transport vehicle and flew towards the _Vigilance_ in contemplative silence.

* * *

The hangar bay of the Vigilance was a familiar sight. Turbo laster guns with their respective crews capable of decimating enemy cruisers and even entire cities were loaded. Starfighters and transportation vehicles for ground forces and hover tanks received refueling and maintenance and clone troopers oversaw or partook in all of it and much, much more. On the outside, all appeared normal or some approximation of normality in these trying times.

Obi-Wan thought for the first time in many years when exactly he became indifferent to such military procedures, when did he accept the role of a soldier? He recalled the early weeks of the Clone Wars during which the thought "How is this happening?" became a near-constant companion to him. But much like his former apprentice, the constant battles, duties and some might say excitements of war quickly left little room for such existential considerations. Even a prison camp where one had nothing but the time required spending it to plot escape routes.

Now, with the veil slowly lifting these past few days on so many matters, the question returned with greater force than ever before. Potentially serving a Sith Lord or Sith stooge for almost 15 years would certainly do that. It was precisely for this reason why the sight of clone troopers with whom he'd fought alongside for so many years was suddenly only a familiar sight, but not a welcome one by any means.

Though he was far better at not letting such thoughts and emotions slip out, Obi-Wan felt the same unease in this hangar as Anakin did. If all their suspicions about Palpatine were correct, he could order their arrest or deaths with a simple call right then and there. It was for this reason they traversed past or through the endless buzz of activity toward the exist where another familiar sight awaited them.

"General Kenobi, General Skywalker!" Commander Cody greeted them both with handshakes, his voice a hint warmer and friendlier than the usual clone one upon seeing them. "Good to see you sirs in one piece. That _Invisible Hand_ landing looked like a right mess."

Officially known as CC-2224, Cody was the leader of the 7th Sky Corps and the 212th Attack Batallion, some of the units and divisions alongside the 501st making up their assault force for Utapau. Cody was awarded the title of marshal commander due to Obi-Wan's own acknowledgment of his abilities. Beyond simply obeying orders, he showed a remarkable level of self-initiative and independent thought as well as a cunning side for battlefield tactics. All of these qualities were why Cody became part of the then-experimental ARC trooper program by Alpha, created to encourage more self-identity from the most skilled of troopers. It was there he'd earned his proper name, one he gave to himself.

Yet despite being glad to see him, Obi-Wan could not stop a voice in the back of his head from wondering which side Cody would fall on, should the worst with Palpatine come to pass: the obedient soldier or the good friend. Nor could he prevent himself from wondering if this familiarity with clone was part of the Sith's already elaborate Jedi trap.

"Well, you know us, Cody," Anakin smiled, managing to sound quite convincingly relaxed. Almost convincing enough for Obi-Wan to cast a surprised look his way that would certainly not do. "Like to play it close to the chest."

"Speak for yourself," Obi-Wan followed the banter up easily enough. "I'm quite done with flight-related theatrics for ten lifetimes."

"I'm sure you won't have to ram a star destroyer into Utapau, general."

"Depends, are those sinkholes on the planet big enough to fit one?"

"Please stop giving Anakin any more ideas."

"By your orders, general."

The trip through the destroyer all the way up its commander tower passed in a mostly pleasant silence. Obi-Wan wasn't sure if it came from falling back into a routine or simply being away from the hangar bay. Unlike many Republic vessels from the past, the destroyers were constructed with a dual bridge design with the port tower coordinating starfighter activity whereas the starboard tower served as the regular command bridge. On every command bridge, however, there was a strategy room with a holoprojector map capable of giving incredibly detailed approximations of vessels, weapons, maps and everything else one would need to wage war.

The initial briefing passed more of procedure than a necessity, a short chronicle of Utapau's past, its status in the war thus far, its geography and the outlying worlds making up the rest of the system. Most of the briefing elicited no feelings of note, save for the talk of neutrality. Of all the numerous systems to fall prey to the Clone Wars, the ones who had nothing to do with it brought forth the most pity from Obi-Wan. They swore no allegiances or wanted hostility toward anyone, simply to be left alone. More often than not, these were worlds too primitive to even be part of the wider galactic society, incapable of even defending themselves against a single battalion at the disposal of the Republic or Confederacy.

Thankfully, from the Republic Intelligence reports, Grievous and Dooku had shown a remarkable level of self-restraint. No battle took place for Utapau during the initial incursion, their representatives merely accepted Confederacy control in-exchange for no death or destruction. A promise kept so far. The thought of himself and Anakin being the ones to break this peace and bring the true chaos of war onto this world was a loathsome one. Even Anakin's recently improved self-control momentarily faltered when the thought elicited a flash of anger and disgust.

"What do we know about their defenses?" Anakin asked, calming himself and letting the troubling ideas vanish into the Force. "After the beating on Coruscant and fighting out on other fronts, they can't be too formidable?"

"From RIs intel, we know their ground forces consist of tens of thousands of battle droids occupying various levels of the sinkhole cities. B1s, B2s, UD38s,... Standard Separatist forces. Not accounting for General Grievous, Count Dooku and the formers specialized IG-100s."

"And their navy?"

"Besides the dreadnaught, Grievous is using near the bottom of the sinkhole city as a base of operation, it seems they have no spacecraft of note."

"That's not suspicious at all," Obi-Wan commented, running a hand across his beard and peering at the map of the Utapau system floating mere feet away. "Seven worlds, each with a multitude of moons. Even removing the planets incapable of hiding a Separatist vessel, that still creates a multitude of hiding spots from which to strike our flanks or back."

The unspoken observation he made also had to do with the Separatist leadership. Who was to say they were still down on Utapau? What if they were in-fact on one of these vessels position in strategic hiding spots, merely waiting for the battle to begin, for the Republics' attention to focus elsewhere where they escaped. Such a vessel would no doubt be small, possibly even unguarded outside to avoid as much attention as possible. One also quickly enough to vanish to whatever location suited their purposes.

"My thoughts exactly, sir, which is why I recommend we send out a series of very small, harder to detect scout ships into the system beforehand. That should let us get a better idea of what the enemy intends."

"That won't be necessary, commander," Anakin said, peering into the map. "Obi-Wan and I can handle it."

"We can?" Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Grievous wants Jedi more than anything else and the two of us will make for quite a prize. Assuming our piloting skills let us down, which they won't, Grievous will be too distracted by wanting to hack us down to notify the rest of his fleet about a Republic presence. With our scout run done beforehand, you'll have a clear enough picture of what'll happen and a distracted enemy force to get an edge on."

_Well played,_ Obi-Wan thought, masking his smile. His former apprentice sounded appropriately cunning and audacious to Cody but with enough reasonable points to make the suicidal plan seem merely high risk instead of absolute madness. It was what he didn't say which mattered more, this plan of temporarily leaving the Third Systems Army behind would allow them to contact the other strike force elsewhere. It would be tricky, timing their assault with the Third Systems Army and also their impending duel with Grievous & Dooku. But if they succeeded, the enemy could be defeated and Separatist leaders would be in Jedi hands. Then they could begin to question Gunray and the rest on the precise identity of this Darth Sidious.

Obi-Wan merely showed his approval through the Force, however. On the outside, he cast a long, suffering look Anakin's way. "One of these days, you really will be the death of me."

* * *

The Klegger Corp Minning Facility was the crown jewel of its self-named corporation. Constructed in the utmost secrecy three years prior, it was built using the latest technologies and techniques at the disposal of the Techno Union. Building anything on a world embodying the word hostile such as Mustafar deserved recognition, yet the Klegger Corp Minning Facility went above and beyond what many considered possible. Constructed inside the very heart of a piercing, black mountain, the facility was equipped with the latest of amenities, defense systems, and cloaking devices. A thousand individuals could live there for decades under active siege while the durasteel and energy shielding prevented any damage from invaders or the surrounding lava river. It was also equipped with a particularly potent communication tower directly linked into the central control system of the entire Separatist army, allowing one to wage the entire Clone Wars from absolute safety. Unless one knew the proper codes to circumnavigate past these defenses.

A fitting fortress for fleeing vermin such as the Separatist Council. Or such was its original intention, in any case. Unfortunately for Gunray and the rest of his kind, they would never step foot inside. Their relevance, of what little it amounted to, had already expired the moment Master Sidious decreed they would remain within the Utapau system. At the mercy of Grievous or the Republic. Instead, the fortress had served thus far as Count Dooku's latest place of residence and what a sight it was to behold.

The world of Mustafar was once a fertile one, even serving as the home of a far way Jedi Enclave. Yet thousands of years before, during the time of Exar Kun's fall, the world became subject to a fierce battle of Jedi and Sith, morphing the green, peaceful hillsides into blackened pillars jutting out of scorching lava beds. It was a world in constant pain, a world ripe with the dark side of the Force. Dooku couldn't get enough of it.

As he spun the red blade this way and that in the darkened room, Dooku felt the potency of it intimately. For days upon days without end, he meditated or practice his Makashi in the depths of the Minning Facility who's countless defenses could never hope to deny the sheer brunt of the dark side permeating throughout Mustafar. With an absolute mastery of his craft, Dooku devoured every conceivable shred of energy he could reach out and take for his own. The raw power was at first overwhelming, nearly causing him to collapse. Yet upon steadying himself, he mastered the intake and now bathed in it constantly. The sensation set his body in an invigorating flame, burning away decades of wear. He felt thirty again, no, twenty! A young man hungry to challenge the galaxy itself to a battle and triumphantly defeat it!

Now, if only there was someone to test this power out on. Two people in-particular who of late never failed to raise his ire and propel the influx of dark side energies to greater heights still. A foolish notion passed through his mind, to disobey Sidious and take the battle to the Jedi. To make them pay for their humiliations inflicted upon a Count of Serenno. But Dooku was no mad novice. For all the strength he felt now, Master Sidious was above even that, far far beyond and Force user in history. Even Yoda and Skywalker combined. He would not jeopardize his position in the new, nigh order of the galaxy. Not without the blessing of his superior.

Hours past until Dooku's immersion in the Force was halted by the beeping of the communication projector in the heart of the strategy room. De-activating his lightsaber and the youthful vigor coursing through him, Dooku activated the device and bowed to his knees as Master Sidious' image burst to life.

"Greetings, my Master. What is thy bidding?"

"Lord Tyrannus," Sidious' voice drawled out as though a cave-like reverb carried it across the galaxy itself into the room. "Mustafar has done well for you, my apprentice. Even an entire galaxy away, I can sense the rise in your strength."

"Yes, Master. The forces at play here are... Intoxicating, I admit. But I have not allowed them to master me."

"As I knew they would not," He added, smile present in his voice. "Rejoice, my friend, for the fruition of our plans is nigh. Before the sun rises upon Coruscant tomorrow, our revenge shall be complete."

"The Jedi have taken the bait?"

"Indeed, they've sent Skywalker and Kenobi both to apprehend you and Grievous. I expect they shall engage the Separatist forces in a matter of hours."

Dooku could not help the rise in his temper at their mention, fingers curling ever so lightly.

"Even with your absence, the deaths of Grievous and the Separatist Council will force the Jedi here to act against me, their suspicions born from Gunray's foolishness are plain to me."

"Will this present an issue?"

"None whatsoever," A grim satisfaction became present in Sidious's voice. "I know the Jedi well, once it appears as though the Separatist threat is concluded, they shall move against Palpatine and merely seal their own fates. Which is precisely what I require you for, Lord Tyrannus."

"You wish me to come to Coruscant...?" Dooku fought back the excitement at the idea of exerting his new abilities against the likes of Shaak Ti, Fisto or even Mace Windu. Daring to raise his head, the form of Sidious with the face of Palpatine smiled just enough to show teeth from above him.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

* * *

**A/N: Since I've got the memory of a dead whale, I may have mentioned the following before but you know the scene in the RotS novel where Anakin sees Obi-Wan leave? That was where the idea of an "Anakin comes clean" story began to churn in my noggin. But as I thought about it more, and even point out here, Anakin wouldn't ditch Padme in this crucial time. Not if he didn't know she had people around who could legit help her. Then I went through LoE and boom, the scene of Obi-Wan noticing how Jedi platitudes don't work anymore combined with the aforementioned inspiration helped make this story exist.**


	16. Chapter 16

Their interceptors slipped out of hyperspace at the very edge of the Utapau system, near the poisoned world of Flauss situated on the opposite end of the system from their target planet. As usual, Anakin arrived first with Obi-Wan arriving moments later. As per their plan, the assault force was situated several hyperspace lanes away, just close enough to hit the enemy in surprise but far enough to give Anakin, Obi-Wan and the Jedi strike team room to breath for the other objective.

Anakin misliked deceiving Cody as did Obi-Wan but the situation was what it was and even his Master seemed to visibly relax being away from the Vigilance. When a man who disliked flying as much as Obi-Wan did, preferred it to staying anywhere else, it spoke volumes. So, they played things as one would expect: Anakin being reckless and Obi-Wan trying to reign him in with a fair few jabs thrown at who owed who for which save. It was almost fun enough to make them both forget how much had changed.

"Artoo," He called out to the astromech, breaking radio silence. "What're you picking from the welcoming committee?"

His domed head swirled inside the vacuum of space while a series of chirps and beeps resounded via the interceptor's internal communications systems. As far as Artoo could tell from his short and long-range scanners, nothing at all was out of the ordinary. No one was moving to attack them, no one was there period. Nothing one could see with conventional means anyhow.

"Time to see if my latest scheme'll work out," Anakin sighed, relaxing his whole body inside the familiar and welcoming interior of the starfighter.

"Trust in the Force, my friend, and it shall provide the answers."

Anakin accepted the advice, nodding across the vacuum at Obi-Wan who sent an encouraging smile his way. With another relaxing exhale, he remembered the lessons with Master Yoda and Master Tii and reached out into the Force. It began slowly, extending past the immediate vicinity of himself and Obi-Wan, past the void of space, past the poisoned ruin that was Flauss, zipping past stars with hyperspace-like speed...The difference between doing it there and on Coruscant was striking enough to make him reflexively gasp.

The dark side was far less potent here, its miasma almost completely situated around the deepest depths of Utapau. Everything else was impossibly clear. Anakin could almost breathe in the toxic fumes of Flauss beneath them, hovering in the atmosphere. He could feel the lava heat on his skin from the rivers of Taktos searing across the entire surface. He could hear the indigenous bird creatures of Unistros call out to him as though he were mere inches away instead of an entire system. Even the chilling void of space, which he never feared, showcased a form of cool energy all on its own, a welcoming sensation keeping his senses from being overwhelmed from too many things at once.

Was this how the Force once felt, before the return of the Sith? During the height of the Republic's long gone golden age? Was this the universe Obi-Wan and countless other Jedi of his generation once enjoyed and was robbed from them? A universe Anakin's and those even younger never fully experienced? No, no it was there, scattered about but present. Anakin had simply never felt the need to reach out this far. It cast a melancholy shadow on an otherwise fantastic experience.

But this too he let slip out into the Force, along with his distracting thoughts and feelings. There would be enough time to enjoy sensations like this when the war was won and the Force was hopefully put to balance again. Narrowing focus on Utapau itself first, Anakin circumnavigated past the faint disturbances of the dark side there. Though their minds were alien to his own, Master Yoda said there were certain sensations in the Force shared by all, detectable and discernible by any Jedi skilled enough to find them. Fear was one, along with happiness, worry, excitement,... The native species of Utapau were sorely deadlocked in the negative spectrum.

As Anakin searched further inside the depths of their mountainous sinkholes, he encountered sensations from the wildlife there as well. Near the bottom of one particular sinkhole, Anakin sensed a pulsating, mutilated sensation of constant anger permeating from the depths of the planet like a beacon. He'd sensed it days ago when it was mere inches away from his body.

"Grievous is down there," Anakin said in a cool, detached voice.

"And Dooku?"

"... I don't see him, not like I did when they attacked Coruscant."

"He's either not there..."

_Or Sidious sensed my heightened Force perceptions back home and told his apprentice to keep a low profile, _Anakin thought, trying in-vain to sense any kind sign for the Count. Dooku was there on the planet, faint traces of his Force signature lingered in the air the same way exhaust from a waste disposal plant poisoned the air. But it was faint... like the paw print of an animal a few days old.

"What of Gunray and the Separatist Council?"

"They're not on Utapau," Anakin removed himself from that planet upon another, closer examination. "They would've stuck out like Grievous amidst the native populace."

With the same precise focus, he diverted his Force focus onto every single other planet, zeroing in on whatever or whoever was located on them. A process made quite a bit easier than he feared it would be thanks to several factors. The first was the Utapau system itself, most of it was uninhabited by any life whatsoever such as Taktos or Flaus. The only signature from there belonged to the natural occurrences on their surfaces. The second was how droids stuck out admist the other energies of the Force. They didn't exist in it, not like most other things or people. On the various moons littering the star system, Anakin felt how they stuck out from everything around them. Like stones interrupting a river. Yet, even within these disturbances in the universe's flow, there was life, alien life forms completely distinct from anything else on the system. A very mixed group of them in-particular hid on what appeared to be a small, emergency escape vessel parked on one of the moons of Barbilly.

Anakin couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. "They're on the farthest most moon on Barbilly."

"Alone?"

"So it would seem, it looks like Grievous or Dooku or Sidious," Or Palpatine, he silently added. "Are prioritizing them getting away while the rest of us are busy fighting."

"Can't have that."

"Certainly not," Anakin turned the engines back on, coordinates set for Utapau. The green-brown world grew with their approach, Anakin letting his pure flight instincts do the driving while his Force perceptions kept looking for Dooku. As a pure military and political necessity, the Count being absent didn't matter. With Grievous dead and the Separatist Council captured, even he couldn't hope to hold it all together, the war would be won. As far as ordinary people were concerned but for a Jedi, having a Sith Lord still out there was a greater threat than ten thousand confederacies, especially one like Dooku.

Anakin kept proding through the Force, sometimes with more of his own will commanding the search but more often allowing the Force itself to lead him to where he wanted to go. Neither method gave him the answer he wanted: Dooku wasn't there and it took at least three calming breaths for his jaw to unclench itself at the thought of him slithering about somewhere else while they were here. It helped that he could practically feel Obi-Wan's jaw clench when the turbulence started banging them inside their cockpits. The hyperwinds of Utapau lived up to their reputation, transforming the entire surface into a blasted, uninhabitable rock that would've made Tatooine look accomodating.

Even the upper levels of the sinkhole city weren't completely protected, with semihurricanes necessitating massive wind turbines nearly as blasted as the surface of the planet to redirect the worst of their effects away. Midway through the city, the turbulence finally stopped and so did their descent ontop of a large but busy landing pad. Before their starfighters even touched down, Anakin already sensed the presence of creatures moving toward them.

The first group was a pack of chubby, brown-skinned creatures with big, black eyes and large oblong heads wearing engineering equipment and carrying ship maintenance tools Anakin recognized them immediately. These were the Utai, a species who didn't care for administration or politics and willingly took up the social position of manual labor within Utapau's society. Behind this group, at a slower pace, approached Pau'an clad in black and red robes, a staff whose black eyes glistened in the sun outside.

"Seems we're expected," Obi-Wan commented, opening his cockpit up.

"Mhm." Anakin decided to let his Master take the lead there while he kept a very close eye on their starfighters. The Utai didn't seem treacherous from what he could tell but there were alien species out there whose minds were difficult to discern, even for a Jedi. "You know what to do if they try something Artoo."

The astromech beeped affirmatively, swiveling his dome in the direction of the nearest Utai.

"Greetings, Master Jedi," The Pau'an spoke with a heavy accent. "I am Tion Medon, master of port administration on this peaceful world. What, may I ask, brings you to us?"

"Greetings, Master Medon," Obi-Wan bowed. "I will be blunt, for our time is short: we are here because of the war."

"There is no war here unless you've brought it with you."

The pulsating fear radiating from Medon was almost like standing inches away from a starfighter jet. Though his face, body and even voice were the picture-perfect examples of serenity, on the inside he was almost shivering from terror. For himself, for his people and what the Jedi arrival would mean for both of them. Deciding that Artoo had their starfighters covered, Anakin stepped a few inches closer to Medon.

"We're here to help," Anakin said in a calming voice, waving a hand and trying to ease the administrator's worries. "You don't have to tell us where he is, we already know. Please, go find someplace safe and hide, warn the rest of your citizens to do the same. For those who want to fight, tell them to wait, we'll be getting back up soon enough. They'll know it when they see it."

The effect on Medon wasn't immediate but it was potent. The nearly palpable fear diminished to a sensible worry and the towering being seemed to shrink right in front of them as some of his burdens eased away.

"I will... Do as you instruct, Master Jedi. May the Gods watch over you in the times to come."

Anakin and Obi-Wan accepted this with silent, polite nods, observing Medon fade away back deeper into the current level of the city. The Utai followed suit, excitedly talking to one another, no doubt impressed by the starfighters.

"Well done," Obi-Wan's hand rested on Anakin's left shoulder.

"A little peace of mind never hurt anyone," Returning to their ships, Artoo beeped and chirped, saying the Utai only did some basic check-up and maintenance work. Though one did try to prod a little more than necessary next to the fuel cells a quick ignition of them made him back off.

Anakin laughed. "Good work, pal. Now," He leaned closer, voice dropping to almost a whisper. "Remember what we talked about on the trip over here? Now's the time to do it."

"That goes for you as well, Geenine," Obi-Wan spoke to the astromech droid inside his interceptor. "Follow absolutely everything Artoo instructs to the letter, am I understood?"

Both astromechs gave affirmative chirps and beeps. Artoo had been fully briefed on the situation all the way back in the innermost sections of the Temple where no one could possibly find out. Some of the Council voiced doubt about his capabilities but Anakin and surprisingly enough, even Obi-Wan, vouched for the astromechs skills, cunning and most importantly, his discretion. The only way Artoo would ever reveal a secret is if you broke his legs and sliced into him for a month, either one is far easier said than done. Geenine was picked up in the Temple as well, extensively checked by Anakin and Artoo both and programmed with certain behavioral modifiers, such subservience to Artoo's directives.

With their orders given, the droids fired up both ships and slowly lifted themselves off the landing bay. Anakin and Obi-Wan watched them rise higher and higher until their shapes disappeared into the searing, brown hyperwinds devouring the uppermost section of the city. Then even the sounds of their engines vanished amidst this noise. It was just the Team left, for now.

"Shall we?" Obi-Wan asked, breaking the silence.

Anakin waved an open hand towards the edge of the landing bay. "After you, Master."

Stepping closer to it, Obi-Wan took out a pair of electrobinoculars and aimed it towards the level Anakin pointed out to him. The tenth or so of the city where one could, even from several levels high above, notice grey and black spheroid shapes along with several spires matching their appearance jutting out from the rocks. Droid control antennas.

While his teacher observed them that way, Anakin reached into the Force once again and attempted to sense out anymore surprises potentially waiting for them down there, zipping past the fears, anxieties but also a fresh rush of renewed hope from the occupied populace. Grievous radiated as always, standing as still as a statue. There was absolutely nothing else alive there with him, not the natives, Separatist leaders or a Sith Lord. What he could perceive were dozens upon dozens more blockages in Grievous' nearby vicinity, the place was teeming with battle droids, a small army's worth.

"Still no sign of our dear friend the Count?"

"No, but Grievous isn't lacking for company down there."

"Company that may prove troublesome should they decide to intervene in our duel."

"True," Anakin admitted, fighting Grievous alone or with the MagnaGuard would be a challenge but something they could do deal with. Having hundreds of blaster bolts buzzing around at the same time though... "But, if we put enough of a good show for the General-"

"And we most certainly will."

"He'll do something stupid like give us an actual fighting chance just so he can kill us personally."

"Well then," Obi-Wan said nonchalantly, putting the binoculars back into his belt. "Let's not keep him waiting."

Anakin was about to point out they lacked the means to do that with no starfighter or any other means of transportation around. The words never came out, for a bellowing series of cries cut through the wind noise made them both halt in their tracks.

"Suubatars...?" Obi-Wan said, taking point.

"The creatures from Ansion...?" Anakin asked, mind whirling past the three years of war to a simpler time when the biggest worry he had was not disappointing his Master. It was one of their last missions before the entire galaxy was thrown into chaos but in hindsight, a precursor to the splintering of the Republic that was to come.

"Not precisely, though I have a feeling their Utapauan equivalent will prove no less useful," Obi-Wan sent an amused glance Anakin's way. "Assuming you're up for a living mount."

"We all must do things we dislike Master in these trying times," Anakin looked at him the same way. "Such as flying."

Banter aside, they both knew the truth behind Obi-Wan's words, Anakin intensely disliked using living mounts. Anything with a mind of its own put him on edge, particularly in situations such as these where they'd be traversing stories worth of sinkhole city. Obi-Wan once said a machine didn't care whether or not it or its master crashed. Anakin retorted they did what they were told at all times.

They left the landing pad behind, moving into the shadows of hallways carved into the sandstone, the only source of illumination coming from lamp rods dangling overhead, casting a yellow hue over everything. Eventually, the single line hallway opened up into a circularly carved room of substantial proportions, big enough to fit five or six interceptors inside. The room consisted of two levels, an upper one with a balcony overseeing an arena like lower level via a series of ramps connecting the two.

In this arena, though a pen was a better name for it, were a dozen large, reptile quadrupeds. With large, beaked faces, scaly bodies stretching out to fifteen meters and four meters in height, they looked like some distant cousin of Tatooine's krayt dragons. What took away from their imposing first impressions was the calm, even lazy for some way they squatted or laid about the pen, allowing Utai wranglers to wash them down, offer them food,...

Descending down the ramp, Obi-Wan approached the nearest wrangler and gestured, reaching out through the Force. "My friend and I require transportation."

The Utai's bulging eyes stared at him, growing wider and glossier until he nodded. Obi-Wan sent another suggestion his way. "If you would be so kind as to give us two saddles."

Following another nod, the wrangler left for a saddle rack away from the dragonmounts. While they waited, the two Jedi walked closer amongst the creatures. Obi-Wan looked at them with more interest than Anakin, passing by several green, brown and orange ones before stopping at one who didn't shy away from his touch or tried to overly endear itself by drawing attention to itself. The creature had a calm, intelligent look in its eyes and accepted a sheaf of grass from a nearby bin with no qualms.

Anakin, meanwhile, heard the rumbling noise of an orange mount just to his right. While it appeared lazy, sprawled out on its belly, arms stretched wide, the yellow eyes looking at him showed interest and... challenge? Peering out into the Force, he remembered sensing the sensation of the creatures through the Force and this one was certainly shining brighter than the rest. He stood half a meter taller than Obi-Wan's mount and was far more pig-headed.

Instead of being annoyed by this, however, Anakin found himself more drawn to the creature, staring back at it without even the tiniest shred of fear or hesitation. The mount snorted and following a quick stretch, rose to full height, towering over Anakin, each stomp of his feet reverberating across the cavern. The other nearby mounts reflexively moved away from him. Then, the creature leaned its face mere inches away from Anakin's, the rumbling in its throat louder and its interest intensified.

Anakin did not move or say anything, he merely stood before the dragon and felt perfectly at ease. Soon enough, the orange mount let out a loud huff and moved again, showing Anakin his side and sitting gently on the rocky floor. With his living hand, Anakin gently stroked the creatures surprisingly soft skin hiding a body build by years of climbing vast, incredibly dangerous sinkholes.

"You've got attitude," He smirked, patting the dragon's belly. "But so do I."

The Utai shuffled over to them, stopping to stare at Anakin and the mount, his surprise apparent through the Force. Evidently this one really was a troublemaker. With their saddles placed, they took the reigns of the creatures. Obi-Wan and his executed it as though they'd been partners for years. Anakin, meanwhile, had to stop a moment and adjust but he wasn't alone, the mount seemed just as surprised to be equally unadjusted to this situation. Instead of fighting back against him, Anakin merely slipped deeper into the Force, letting his own relaxation affect the mount. Eventually, his muscles relaxed imperceptibly and the loud huffing eased to a gentle breathing pattern.

"Boga," The Utai said, pointing at his Master's mount. For Anakin's, he said "Dobu."

"Thank you very much," Obi-Wan smiled, nodding at the Utai. "My companion and I cannot offer you monetary compensation would do solemnly vow to free your world from tyranny."

"I don't think he understands."

The Utai's head tilt to the side and confused, almost bug-like star confirmed as much.

"Ah yes, quite right, well..." Without another word the wrangler wouldn't have understood anyway, Obi-Wan gently nudged Boga forward and the dragonmount honked, rising on two legs before taking off like a green blur. Not to be outdone, Anakin's own charged after her in a rush that would've been the envy of a speeder, if speeders could feel envy anyway.

In a matter of moments, the dimly lit cavern gave away to open, clear sky, along with a fantastic view of the almost bottomless looking pit underneath. In a single bound, both dragons leaped across from the exit all the way to an adjacent, metal balcony and without losing a moment's stride, kept leaping on and on the way down. With the same practiced ease a Jedi Knight wields a saber, the creatures skillfully and easily jumped down from level to level, never over or under exerting themselves. Claws easily ripping into stone or even steel and their heads whipping this way and that with perfect situational awareness. What was impressive about the ride down, besides the thrill of leaping across such a vast chasm and the wind whipping in his face was how Anakin didn't need to do anything at all. Neither did Obi-Wan. Without warnings or prompts or commands, the mounts simply knew what their ridders wanted and the best way to get there.

This free ride also gave him a chance to further examine the city and to truly feel how deserted much of it was becoming. Medon had heeded their advice well, sources of fear and worry vanished further away from the countless balconies and landing pads across the city. The beings who were staying to fight did so with a tangible desire for revenge fueled by a sense of hope. Sobering up from the rush, Anakin silently vowed to make sure their hopes weren't misplaced just as Boga and Dobu jumped and landed like phantoms into the archway of level ten. Just above where Grievous was.

With equally surprising and skillful grace, the dragon mounts gently traversed the length of the archway, their massive frames producing no noise at all against the durasteel their claws banged against. Eventually, the archway began to split open, revealing a towering hall underneath. A hall filled to the brim with every single battle droid ever produced by the Confederacy, all of them making a very poor show of not waiting for, say, two Jedi to drop at any moment.

Seven figures stood out amongst them, Grievous and six of his MagnaGuard, looking out at a docking bay in front of them. With a deep breath, Anakin made one last effort to find Dooku, hoping that their vicinity might provoke a reaction from the Count. During their duel on Geonosis, the ex-Master of Qui-Gon seemed immovable, his demeanor never giving way to panic or even anger. But on the Invisible Hand, Anakin and Obi-Wan both saw Dooku could be intimidated and shaken like any other man and having the people responsible for that humiliation might make him shake again. That was the logic Anakin kept in-mind with every search. Again, nothing.

"Well then, we shall see if it is so," Obi-Wan commented, no doubt taking the slight grimace on Anakin's face for an answer. "No sense in keeping them waiting for much longer."

"Right," Anakin dismounted along with him, casting aside his longer Jedi robes. But before they turned this place into a free-fire zone, they had one more thing to do. Looking back at the dragons, Anakin found Dobu looking at him again, head held high but not out of challenge, just a quiet acceptance that they were parting ways. It was eerily familiar to a Jedi. Obi-Wan took a more personal approach with Boga, gently rubbing her beak and whispering for her to leave.

Moving away from the creatures, Anakin and Obi-Wan moved to the edge of the archway, lightsabers in both hands and bodies ready for battle. They did not say anything to one another, merely letting the calming effect of immersion in the Force and each other's presence washer over them. It reminded Anakin of being back on Coruscant with his family the night before.

With a glance and nod to each other, the two friends leaped from the archway and landed in an almost glide gently onto the floor. None of the droids so much as glanced in their direction. At that moment, Anakin sensed something else from his old teacher, a wry bit of amusement at the tip of his tongue. With a nod, he told Obi-Wan to go for it.

"Hello there."


	17. Chapter 17

Neither one of them moved when the air became filled with the noise of a small droid army near-instantaneously reacting to Obi-Wan's greeting. The stomping of metal feet repositioning themselves. The ground-shaking thumps of large, spider legs. The whirs and clicks of several thousand machines moving into firing position, aiming an equal number of blasters at the intruders. The Jedi didn't even activate their lightsabers or grace the enemy with even a glance.

The only droids who interested them broke the silence with the rhythmic, mechanical clanking of durasteel feet and claws against a floor of the same material. Anakin and Obi-Wan watched the arm directly ahead disperse at their leader's approach as though Grievous was moving them aside like a sea of metal with a Jedi's command of the Force. His MagnaGuard, all equipped with their signature staff weapons, followed him with three on each side.

Their little greeting party stopped eighty feet away from the Jedi, with only their only movements the nearly imperceptible glances from Grievous' slit eyes. His black cape parted, revealing the six-fingered mechanical hands resembling his original, Kaleesh body. They held no lightsabers, though both of the Jedi caught glances of his hidden collection but faced upward at a 45-degree angle.

"Kenobi, Skywalker, I bid you welcome to Utapau," He bowed, inclining his head to both of them. "As your host today, how may I be of service?"

"Willingly placing yourself under our arrest would be a start," Obi-Wan replied.

"Telling us anything we want to know would work too," Anakin added.

A rumbling, metallic laugh reverberated through whatever was left of his lugs and throat. "Unfortunately, I cannot fulfill either request. But I would be most grateful if you respect my rules as master of the house and promptly die like the vermin you are."

"Guess we're going to be poor guests," Anakin ignited his lightsaber, Obi-Wan did no such thing. Through the Force, Grievous' brief facade of congeniality evaporated and the seething, pure hatred of all Jedi exploded out like a torrent of wind in their faces. The Knights weathered it without a flinch.

The bio-droid's eyes narrowed. "Kill them."

Stepping back to give his bodyguards more space, Grievous melted in the rapidly growing circular room being afforded to the battle at hand. All while the lesser droids kept every single one of their thousands of blasters perpetually trained at the Team. The six Magnaguard stepped forward, first with slow, methodical steps. Their hands activating the currents of each electrostaff, filling the air with a grating, buzzing noise resembling a hive of Corellian raptor-wasps.

Without even looking at one another, Anakin and Obi-Wan both took steps away from another, dividing the enemy force by taking three each. Anakin kept his saber in a perpetual low guard, giving him a posture of laziness or absolute arrogance further enhanced by his immersion in the Force. Its soothing effect relaxing his body until the moment it was necessary to fight. Obi-Wan followed his principle with an even greater display of calm by still refusing to ignite his weapon, even as the MagnaGuard's methodical walk became faster and faster. Particularly his trio, Anakin's were far warier.

Anakin let them get close enough to encircle them, not even bothering to look as they spun and twirled their staffs this way and that. Even their feints failed to elicit so much as a flinch. No, he only responded when the Force said it was time. It came soon enough when the MagnaGuard directly ahead jabbed his weapon forward in a stabbing motion aimed for Anakin's chest. His partner directly behind the Jedi went for the knees while the one to Anakin's immediate right swung to cut off his saber hand.

Instead, the hand shot in the direction of the droid, hurtling him back enough with a Force push. Anakin's saber swung from right to left, smacking the forward attacker to such a degree it stumbled off to the side or suffer a crippling decapitation. The last of them, still going for the knees, was met with nothing but empty air: Anakin had already used the momentum of his swing to perform a quick, spinning jump on the spot. If the last bodyguard attacker had gone for a stab instead of a swing, the Jedi's boot would have landed right onto the staff and left its owner completely vulnerable to a beheading. Not that Anakin couldn't have dispatched all three of them already, they simply needed to keep Grievous distracted for a while longer. Just enough to keep him occupied without annoying him enough to open a thousand droid salvo on them. And so, he feinted a miss, grazing the final guard's shoulder but otherwise letting it retreat to safety.

Obi-Wan smiled blandly at his approaching adversaries, mind clear and accepting to anything and everything the Force willed. He was but an instrument to it and accepted this role with the practiced ease of decades. And so, the Force moved him unscathed through the incoming attacks. If a swing or stab was imminently close to wounding or killing him, the Force made his body move in precisely the right way and the right time to avoid any harm at all. Ducking, crouching, jumping, even positioning himself directly behind his enemies once or twice to make the guards hurt one another. He did not so much evade as almost dance through the fairly impressive series of their electrostaff motions. To the untrained eye, it would appear Obi-Wan was a foolish, self-imposed retreat, constantly giving way to the enemy and delaying the inevitable. But the Force was validating his stance on every conflict: a battle is only ever a distraction and could be countered by another, larger distraction.

These motions continued on and on, Obi-Wan dancing and fully immersed in the Force while Anakin stayed an immovable object, letting the Force guide his body while his perceptions were partially occupied by matters in and outside their vicinity. Their strike wasn't coming just yet, though the Force warned it was one of two events in his near future. One to come soon was an explosion of rage born from Grievous' rapidly growing irritation. Though he did not say it, the General's displeasure with his so-called elite guard grew with every second they were still alive. An explosion they'd have to stamp out by goading his ego.

Anakin acted first on this, sending a flash of warning for Obi-Wan who'd retreated several dozen feet behind him. With a calming breath, the young Jedi let the Force guide his next step. As such, he ducked. A stab from behind intended to pierce his neck instead shoved over a quarter of the staff through the eye socket of a guard attacking directly in front, effectively killing it. The third member, unable to complete his overhead swing, what with his own partners weapon in the way, hastily attempted to use this momentum and switch to a low swing instead.

By the time it was halfway done, Anakin's blade was already clashing at its legs as well as the ones belonging to the recently impaled droid. The next clash on his way back up to a standing position carved both MagnaGuards in two at the waist. The sole survivor jumped backward, expecting a third clash to get it as well. Anakin didn't see the need for it, their fight was already over. The droid, uselessly, tried to perform its standard spinning motions with its staff but with its stabbed partner still lifelessly sticking out from one end, weighing it down, the motion's speed and balance were completely ruined. From crotch to head, Anakin cut the droid in-half at the moment a resounding boom shook the entire hangar.

At the same moments Anakin dispatched his attackers, Obi-Wan did the same, allowing himself to appear captured between the three of them. He waited and waited until the final possible instant to use some of his Ataru training and leaped high into the air and to safety. The three MagnaGuard, as they'd done several times already, struck each other in the heads, shoulders or knees. In the heartbeat it would take for their computerized brains to register what happened and to swiftly recover from it, Obi-Wan already defeated them. With the barest flick of his fingers, a gargantuan crate hanging over the trio was unclasped from the ceiling, crushing them all splattered bits of durasteel. Casually, he walked past his handiwork and joined his former apprentice, sharing brief smiles with him before refocusing on their host.

"Our offer still stands, General," He pleasantly told the scowling droid commander standing scarcely forty feet away. "Surrender and no harm shall come to you."

His scowl deepened, the anger at all of Jedi, but most notably at the two of them, intensifying to even greater heights. A sensation made all the more fascinating in its sheer, almost scorching magnitude when paired with an even greater, guttural laugh of his mechanical voice cords.

"Harm, to me? Fools," A series of loud clicking sounds came from underneath the cloak, alongside the twisting and turning of durasteel plates. With each one, Grievous grew to full height, well over a head taller than either of the Jedi. "I've butchered dozens of your brothers and sisters, I know everything you're capable of and more..."

With a dramatic flourish, the cloak parted open revealing the metal monstrosity underneath, a durasteel frame of skeletal proportions, a perverse replacement for his annihilated Kaleesh body. But it was also the instrument of considerable combative power, as testified by any Jedi skilled enough to survive dueling against the General... Or any evidence left behind by whatever slaughter he'd performed most recently. Even Master Windu could not defeat Grievous in single combat on Coruscant, resorting to removing him from the battle. A luxury neither Anakin or Obi-Wan could afford.

From inside the cloak, a series of sabers appeared within Grievous' hands, touching them caused the General to release a sensation of pure delight and pride temporarily through the Force. Of a hunter running his hands across well-earned trophies. This wasn't what surprised the Jedi, causing the slightest crack in their otherwise perfect demeanors. It was the fact he was holding six blades.

Two he dropped to the ground and with a near-deafening pounding of both clawed feet, grabbed hold of them. The other four were taken by his separated twin hands. A series of snap hisses ignited all six blades and the air around Grievous became a whirl of blinding blues and greens as he positioned each and every single weapon in a different fighting stance all at once. His upper right blade was held in a single-handed overhead Djem So attack stance, his bottom right in a Niman low guard. The upper left blade performed the Makashi salute while the last one entered a variation of the Ataru opening stance. And they knew he was capable of even more.

The Team responded as well, Anakin mirroring Grievous' Djem So stance while Obi-Wan activated his own blade into a Soresu guard. Whatever sly bit of banter at the tip of their tongues evaporated, there was only the silent challenge of their focused looks at Grievous. The General's anger and delight both intermingled as his stomping feet moved forward, slowly, laboriously while his four other sabers spun through the air, continuously altering their stances in ways that would've broken an ordinary person's wrists hands or their entire body.

The two Jedi almost sent reassurances to one another when suddenly Grievous blazed forward with the speed of a starfighter, reducing the meager distance between them to nothing. They had no time to do anything at all but allow the Force to guide them through the whirlwind of strikes sent their way. Anything else would've gotten them both killed instantly or driven insane. With astonishing speed, ferocity, mechanical body to afford both and expert knowledge of the Jedi arts, the area directly in their surroundings became a blinding, migraine-inducing display of blue and green energies whizzing against, past and at one another.

In a tenth of a second, Grievous coordinated and altered his offensive at a moment's notice. A single limb was capable of entirely switching directions, intensities, physical powers and angles of attack. To say nothing of how his body was capable of instantaneous attack and defensive measures, using some blades to deflect whatever useless blow was sent his way while his response was simultaneously sent the Jedi's way. An attack pattern only turned more randomized and fierce by the fact Grievous would suddenly and without even provocation, stand on his proper arms and allow his legs to act as his upper body, even rotating his entire lower half and transforming it into a buzzsaw anything but the absolute defense would've been suicide against. By some vague calculations in the Team's respective minds, Grievous was averaging at the bare minimum of over fifty lightsaber strikes in a single second.

Obi-Wan withstood it all with an unshakable calm. A calm provided by the Force, an absolute trust between a meager servant and a higher power guiding his hand. Moving his blade just quickly enough to divert or outright block any strike sent his way. All while using the absolute minimum of effort required for any movement. If Mace described his style as becoming immersed in Vapaad, then Obi-Wan was immersed in Soresu. Everything he'd learned about the form, from others, and from personal experience, was at the behest of the Force. Yet alone, against a barrage of this intensity, he would have fallen. Even twenty strikes per second from four blades would overwhelm him. But Obi-Wan had Anakin by his side and this, he knew, would be enough.

Anakin weathered the incoming storm with greater issues. He had already crossed swords with Grievous over Coruscant but this was something entirely different. Even with the assistance of the Force, he knew in his less focused mind, he would've lost this duel without Obi-Wan there to take some of the hits away from him. Anakin's trust in the Force wasn't the issue, he let the energies of the universe itself guide him as they saw fit and it wasn't failing him or his Master so far. The problems he faced were born from style and a necessity to keep a shred of focus on matters outside the battle.

Djem So was an aggressive fighting form, based around the idea of defense and then immediate counterattack. Though he was knowledgable or proficient in other combat styles, Form V was his go-to, his first, last and only response. Against an assault of this level, half of his skills were effectively off the table. Trying to counter-attack against Grievous would be suicide, leaving Anakin feeling out of options. The strike team would also hit soon and they had to... forestall any efforts Grievous might take to help or prevent it. Not outright kill him, that would leave them vulnerable to roughly ten thousand blasters and no backup to ease the pressure. No, this problem would require another solution...

It was then, while in the middle of blocking twelve or so lightsaber strikes, Anakin fought the urge to strike himself across the face. Grievous, while still alive, was mostly a machine...

* * *

_I don't like any of this... _Nute Gunray repeated to himself for what must've been the ten-thousandth time in the past hour alone. If he got a single credit for every time the thought or some variation of it ran through his mind since the failure at Coruscant, he would've been able to fund an entirely new fleet of Separatist ships. For all the good it would do them. Being confined to a Consular-class cruiser for days on end did nothing to help the feeling of melancholy washing over him and the rest of the Separatist Council on board.

Palpatine was right there, in their grasp! The perfect means of crippling the Republic and buying the Confederacy much needed political power to maneuver and bring a war to a satisfying turn for them. Yet, at the insistence of Sidious and Dooku, Palpatine was kept above Coruscant where the Jedi inevitably rescued him. All that time and more importantly money spent on nothing at all! Leaving them with no hostage and a Republic more eager to fight to the bitter end than ever before!

Not that Sidious seemed to care when faced with questions on Utapau concerning their progress in the war, he showed his usual calmness, his words laced with promises and assurances that the war was nearing its end. That they would suffer no negative repercussions in the climax to come. Assurances that would have held more weight if Dooku did not leave to parts unknown and the entire Council being stranded on a ship, in a system where the Republic could attack at any moment while there was a perfectly good safe haven for them on Mustafar! Was that more money wasted as well?

The dark mood hung over everyone on the ship capable of feeling one. On more than one occasion, arguments and even an exchange of blows happened between members of the Council. For the past day, they all avoided one another completely, each finding some section of the ship to stand or sit in until the situation changed again. For the better, hopefully, he did not think his rattled nerves could withstand any more disasters...

A loud, blaring noise suddenly exploded throughout the entire ship at once, its inside becoming bathed in intense, red light. It took all the dexterity Nute could muster to avoid smashing face-first into a nearby wall after practically leaping into the air. The doors to his room parted and on the other side stood Hako, his face contorted into a panting fit of worry and one hand desperately clutching his side.

"What is it?" Nute asked, taking a step toward his old friend. "Are we under attack?!"

"Not us..." Haako panted. "Our main force, the Jedi are striking us from behind!"

"What?!"

"L-Look!" Reaching over to a nearby holoprojector terminal, Haako frantically, clumsily even, pressed a series of commands linking the projector to one of their strategic displays on the main assault cruisers. From there, a map of the battle sprang to life, showing a single Republic destroyer leaving hyperspace and opening fire on the nearest cruiser huddling in the dark side of a nameless moon. With an obscene fascination, Nute and Haako both silently watched its turrets open continuous fire, smashing into yet another ship that cast far more than it was worth. The vessel trying and failing to rise as a considerable portion of its engines were devastated in the initial strike alone.

"D-Damn it!" Nute shouted, watching the cruiser lift off then just as quickly descend back onto the moon, exploding into nothingness. "Fight, you fools! Don't let them take us!"

As though his voice was heard across the void of space, the other remaining cruisers did as told, managing to lift off from the orbits of their respective hiding places and engage the enemy properly. Soon, it was five against one and this time, the Republic were the ones sustaining considerable damage. Nute's elation was palpable but short-lived as a basic question entered his thoughts: what was Grievous doing? Why was he taking all of the vessels out from hiding? What if the Republic came at them from more unexpected directions and carved their fleet to pieces like vibroknives in the back?!

"G-Get to the pilot!" Nute turned to Haako, grabbing his shoulder. "Te-Tell him to get us out of here, right now! Punch in the coordinates to Mustafar before-"

"Look!"

Staring back at the tactical display, Gunray watched with an open mouth as the Republic cruiser... Kept flying straight ahead, directly in the path of two cruisers delivering the most damage to it. No matter what their forces sent on the destroyer, it just kept flying closer and closer. It didn't take a strategic mastermind to know at least two of the ships would crash into one another and explode! Who was leading that ship? Was he mad?! Trying to kill himself and his whole crew simply to take out their droids?!

Whether their forces would cut down the destroyer before a collision occurred was something Gunray would never find out. A loud, sickening crunch of durasteel accompanied by the resounding boom of an explosion came from a far end of the ship. Where the engines were. The tactical display died instantly. Haako and Nute took hold of one another to hold tightly as their ship began to shake harder and harder still, as though an invisible force was plucking them from their own hiding spot.

_No... _Nute thought as a chilling sensation swept over his whole body. _It's a tractor beam!_

* * *

Grievous' leg snapped at Obi-Wan like a viper, blade deliberately pointed downward to strike at Kenobi's leg while three other sabers went to carve him to pieces. Skywalker intercepted these, standing at his old teacher's side and withstanding the attacks, covering for each other still. They were a formidable force, the old Kaleesh warrior begrudgingly admitted, witnessing their considerable defensive prowess first hand for the past few minutes. No other Jedi managed to hold their own against him for so long, save for Lord Tyrannus - though considering him a Jedi would be an insult to the man.

Kenobi's Soresu did remind Grievous of Dooku's own Makashi, the deliberate ease of movement, not a moment wasted, no effort too small or too great. Everything Kenobi did was with calm precision. Skywalker was the weaker of the two, his offensive style deadlocked leaving him performing a decent enough approximation of Kenobi's defensive form, but one which could not withstand an individual assault. There would be no repeat of their clash on the Invisible Hand, Skywalker's fall was a foregone conclusion and the perspiration drenching the sides of his face was all the proof Grievous needed of that.

Deciding that he'd entertained himself enough, the time had come to end this battle and add two more very valuable blades to his collection.

Letting one of his blades seemingly slip out of his grasp, Grievous watched it hang there in mid-air just long enough for Skywalker to take the bait, which he did by counter-attacking for the first time since the beginning of their battle. With a simple wrist flick, Grievous recaptured his blade and kicked Kenobi in the gut, sending him skidding back just long enough for his student to stand alone, mid-attack and nothing else to help him.

Grievous' computerized mind could already calculate what would happen next: Skywalker would move for a ferocious uppercut wing to carve Grievous in half only for three other bladers to lock down his own, leaving three more to cut him down with. And so it came to pass, the Hero with No Fear attacked and in so doing sealed his fate. Then, something else happened, something Grievous did not account for... Skywalker's blade... Shrank?!

Mere moments before it would've gotten locked amidst three of Grievous', the Jedi pressed his lightsabers activation button, letting the blade shrink just enough to pass harmlessly past Grievous' own. Then he pressed it again and the General watched with disturbing clarity as Skywalker's sword returned to full height and very nearly took his entire left shoulder off. Registering the immediate danger, Grievous jumped back only to spot a shadow passing over his head: Kenobi, jumping ahead and over the bio-droid, cleaving the fingers and blade of his upper left hand clean away.

With a guttural growl, Grievous spun his entire torso in a rapid series of buzzsaw motions, intending to cover his front and back against both of the Jedi. Instead of being intimidated by this display, Skywalker rushed headlong into it, pulling his upper body back into a stabbing motion. This attack was but a feint, while Grievous prepared to meet the young Jedi, his Master was the one to block two of Grievous' blades, grinding his teeth and entire body with just enough force to prevent the spinning from happening any more. Skywalker, meanwhile, swung for the General's feet and carved both lightsabers away from them.

Snapping at the Jedi with his newly freed claws, Skywalker jumped aside, as did Kenobi unable to prevent the motors from spinning Grievous' body any longer. Not that the General stayed there himself, leaping closer to one group of droids and putting distance between himself and the Jedi. Though they were noticeably tired, panting and drenched in sweat, Kenobi and Skywalker exuded an infuriating calm. No, not simply calm, but arrogant belief they had defeated him!

The very idea sent a burning pulse of anger to rush through Grievous' entire being, setting even the durasteel frame on fire with pure loathing. Snapping his blades into a ready position, he gave off the impression of moving to attack. In truth, he would use the Jedi's momentary return to a ready stance to address his troops.

Kill them! Kill them both!

The command resounded profoundly in his head... But never came out. Not only did the droids, useless pieces of tin scrap that they were, remain standing there as nothing at all happened... But Grievous' own voice wasn't working! Blinking in surprise and fury, he yelled more orders at them, again and again with nothing to show for it. It was as if someone had turned off his vocal cords! But how could that be- Then his eyes momentarily glanced at Skywalker, and from that arrogant youth's smile, he knew the answer. The bastard had used the Force to damage his body! Grievous had heard of boys prowess with machines, but to rewire Grievous' own settings in the middle of a fight with him was... It was... Insane!

"Surrender, General," Kenobi spoke, the bland smile on his face gone. Replaced by a look of detached finality. "We will not offer this to you again."

His reply was a silent snarl and a lunge. Grievous switched over to a form he'd only recently acquired, the one known as Vapaad from its sole master, Mace Windu itself. It was Juyo taken to its nth degree, aggression and overwhelming force personified. Even Windu himself could not defeat Grievous during their skirmish atop the train and neither would Kenobi's defenses withstand-

Skywalker appeared before him, just as on the Invisible Hand and this time, he did not hesitate to attack. Holding his ground with a look of focused determination, the Hero with No Fear... Lived up to his name, standing there, an immovable object, responding to every single strike sent his way. It did no matter what Grievous did, which angle he struck from, which form he randomly came at him from, Skywalker met it and returned with twice, no thrice the speed and sheer attacking power! In a matter of moments, Grievous was the one who found himself pushed back! Back... To Kenobi who once again moved as silent as a phantom, appearing at Grievous' side and carving his lower right arm away.

Grievous kept lashing out, trying to cut them down, trying to make them pay for this humiliation. For what they, their Order and their Republic did to him and his home. Pure, seething anger overcame all reason, he did not care if he died there so long as he took these two, just these two more Jedi with him to death as well. It wasn't until he heard the hiss of lightsaber carving through metal two more times did a warning register from the computer built into his brain.

Blinking at the four stumps that were once his arms, Grievous realized how true his prediction of death was. Just long enough for a horrible fear unlike any, he'd felt in years to overtake him and long enough for Skywalker and Kenobi to cut his head off.

* * *

The sounds of battle echoed throughout the ship, even past the thick doors leading out into the hallway. Nute and Haako sat huddled in the corner, jumping and cowering more and more with every blaster battle and woosh of a lightsaber. Just under the crack of the door, they could see the flash of lights, hearing the clanking of battle droids falling and the barks of Republic forces. Were he in a saner state of mind, Nute would've realized the voices sounded strange, lacking the distinct dialect of Jango Fett found in all clones.

A curious thing he soon ignored when a green lightsaber carved its way through the door, causing him and Haako both to squeal and jump back, pressing their backs against metal as though it would let them phase through it. With every turn the saber did to carve its way into the room, Nute could feel the blood drain from his face, no doubt turning his features into a disgusting orange color. Haako, to his immediate right, panted and trembled as though they were still caught in the tractor beam.

The moments ticked away, the sizzling of a blade against steel continued and then stopped as the sword retreated. Nute and Haako looked at the door, then at one another and then back at the door, expecting it to explode from its carved hinges at any moment. Instead, it fell with a loud clank, the Jedi on the other end pushing it gently inward. The Neimoidians jumped again and huddled closer, staring at the door and then at the Jedi.

If one could call this a Jedi.

Though the robes of his order were present, they were buried under considerable amounts of armor plating covering most of his chest, shoulders, wrists, and feet. The armor was worn, with multiple signs of wear and tear, what robes could be seen were tattered and smudged with mud and who knew what else. With his graying hair tied behind into a bun, the Jedi's scarred, fierce features were fully visible to them. This usually didn't mean much, to Nute, all humans looked the same. But this Jedi... he would remember the piercing gaze in his black eyes and enhanced several scars running down his face.

The Jedi stood there, blade still activated, bathing the room with a green light. On each side, there were troopers standing ready, pointing blasters at them. Not clones, however. A Twi'lek and a Rodian, wearing the same cobbled-together armor as the Jedi. They seemed more like some isolated world's worthless militia force than a Republic strike team.

"Viceroy Gunray, Settlement Officer Haako," The Knight spoke with a firm but pleasant voice, deactivating his blade and placing it onto his belt. His features eased somewhat as he and his men entered the room. "My name is General Rahm Kota, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

Before either Nute or Haako could do or say anything, his hands moved in a blur, producing a twin pair of shackles that ensured their hands with loud, almost deafening clicks. "And to place you under arrest."

* * *

**A/N: As always, my editor Kagari is to thank for tidying up this one but I'd also like to thank Lord Martiya for helping me out with some spacecraft stuff.**


	18. Chapter 18

The hours seemed to stretch on into the length of days or weeks inside 500 Republica. Every interview was more droning and laborious than the last. Every suspect seeming less relevant to what truly mattered. Mace knew the reason why this feeling persisted with him since yesterday. Utapau was where the real battle was being fought, right at that same moment across the galaxy while he kept sitting on and would continue to for who knew how long. It was where the schemes of the Sith might finally be revealed along with the Jedi's true enemy. It was a feeling enhanced by his unique perception of the Force and all who existed inside it, the Shatterpoints in 500 Republica were vanishing, carried like pebbles in the moving currents of the present.

He didn't show this to anyone, of course. Every single person brought in for questioning received an equal amount of scrutiny from him. He had served the Order too long and too dutifully to let his personal annoyances interfere with this. Though he readily admitted it wasn't all on him, Kit Fisto made it infinitely easier. As one of the most approachable Jedi in the Order, Kit could get along with anyone or anything. If Obi-Wan was the man to ease tensions among all present parties, Kit was who you'd chat within in a cantina over whatever you wanted. A handful of times, back when the Clone Wars hadn't quite burned out their good humor, the Council would joke how Kit could probably talk down a battle droid into being his friend should the opportunity arise.

One such person was their current subject for interview, the Republic's representative for the planet of Duro, Rool Da. Despite his species being among the first space-faring civilizations in galactic history, among the founding species for the Republic itself and suffering one of the worst examples of planet-wide destruction of any world in the Clone Wars so far, Da and his species were under constant scrutiny. Non-human sentiment on Coruscant grew from day to day and from what Mace could perceive from her worried thoughts, infested even the Senate itself. The fact her species was quite close genetically and physically to Neimoidians wasn't helping matters.

She entered looking pinkish, a sign of sickness or heavy unease though she hid nothing from them, answering every question with complete honesty. It certainly helped Kit started charming her almost immediately. Calling her lovely, complimenting a perfume Mace was convinced didn't exist and acting the perfect gentlemen. If he wasn't absolutely certain of Kit's dedication to the Jedi tenants, Mace would've thought they'd have another Skywalker situation on their hands soon.

"Again, I do apologize for any interruption our conversation might've done in your schedule," He apologized for the third time, bowing his head. Rool Da waved the apology aside, again.

"Oh no, no at all. I'm very happy to have participated," Senator Da smiled, her complexion long since back to normal and a glint present in her red eyes. "My people owe the Jedi much for helping to free our world, helping you in this manner is the absolute least I can do. If you should need anything more..."

"You will be the first to hear from us," Kit smiled wider, tone pleasant and sweet. Rool Da and he didn't stop looking at one another until she was on the other side of the door, though her presence in the Force lingered there for a little while longer. "Don't look at me like that."

"I'm not looking at you like anything."

"Yes you are," Kit faced him, his smile becoming wry. "I can see that disapproving raised eyebrow of yours."

"This is how I look at everything."

"Must be annoying being so disapproving all the time, then."

Mace's lip quirked in a tiny, genuine smile. He could see what Kit was doing and made his appreciation of the cheering up known with a respectful head bow. It was a brief respite, however. A floor below, Master Tii, who took up Anakin's role of the secret third interrogator and lie detector for lack of a better term, intensified his mental connection with Mace and Kit both. The last time he'd done it was just over half an hour ago when they'd received word Anakin and Obi-Wan had begun their fight with Grievous.

_Master Kota has sent word to Coruscant, _Master Tii's already coarse voice sounded like two stones skidding against one another. _His telepathic suggestion of Separatist leadership proves it, Mace. You were right, it's Palpatine._

Kit let out a rare, suffering sigh at the revelation, no, confirmation. Shaking his head and leaning against the chair. Through the Force, Mace could see the worry permeating throughout both of them. All three of them knew what this meant: The Sith had finally succeeded, they'd broken the Republic. They had done so well over ten years ago and spent centuries beforehand building up to that moment. The rest of the galaxy just didn't know it yet but they would soon, quite soon.

For himself, Mace was more surprised by his lack of surprise. This eventuality was something he'd felt deep down for months prior and his admission of this to the Council after Anakin's address had unexpectedly lessened what could've been a far more crippling blow. He did not feel the shock and pain of his one, secret love falling. He didn't even feel anger at himself or Palpa- Sidious for this deception. The only thing Mace Windu felt at that moment was determination, to try and stop the Sith schemes if it was still possible, but more importantly, save the Jedi Order. He would not fail it as he failed the Republic.

_Saesee, _Mace spoke, breaking the silencing lingering between them. _Contact our strike teams around 500 Republica, tell them all to fall back to the Temple and lock it down. Unless it's myself, Obi-Wan, Anakin or Master Yoda no one is allowed in. Inform Shaak Ti she is to intensify the evacuation, I want every single youngling left on Coruscant away within the hour. Do the same with our people protecting Senator Amidala, she cannot under any circumstances remain on this planet while that scheming viper is still alive. Am I understood?_

_You are, Master Windu... May the Force be with you, _the Iktochi Master replied, his resolve rallying from the tasks left at hand. With that he ended telepathic communication with them, soon he and all the other Jedi on Coruscant would be in the relative safety of the Temple.

"Mace," Kit asked, still sounding concerned. "You aren't doing what I think you are... Right?"

"I am," The Korun Jedi replied in a tone brokering no argument. "He's killed enough of us already. No more. If I am the last Jedi to fall by his hand, then so be it."

"At least let me and a few others come with you, perhaps we can even wait for Master Yoda to arrive and-"

"We can't," Mace told him firmly, eyes peering past the mere physical walls of 500 Republica and across the planet to the Senate building itself. The point where suddenly all the miasma of the Dark Side was flowing out of with perfect clarity. Where every single Shatterpoint that would determine the fate of thousands was hours, if not minutes away from disappearing. Peering at him from this distance, Mace could almost swear Sidious knew he was looking in that direction, allowing the Jedi Master a peek into what his enemy was truly capable of.

"Everything he's plotting is coming to a head, very, very soon. If what I see is correct, my Vapaad may be one of the only things capable of defeating him."

"I'd believe that if Skywalker were here..."

_Yes..._ Windu admitted, letting a brief sigh. _So would I..._

In less than twenty minutes, the Jedi abandoned 500 Republica, in and outside. Through the Force, Mace could sense his fellow Knights and Masters converging to the Temple, their presence growing dimmer and dimmer as the suffocating hold of the Dark Side seemed to pulsate more strongly. Kit was the last to leave, staying with Mace on the landing platform. The sun overhead was nearly gone, only a few more shimmers of orange light broke the night falling on Coruscant. Mace wondered with a gallow humor if Sidious planned this out as well.

"Are you certain? Truly?" Kit asked again.

"I am," Mace said without hesitation and countering the grim, uncharacteristic look on the Nautolan Jedi's face, smiled. He extended a hand to him. "Take care of the Order while I'm away, Kit. I know you, Shaak Ti and the others can rise up to the task, no matter what."

"..."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing..." Kit said, shaking his head and making his tentacles wave through the air. He shook Mace's hand. "It's just not like you to be so..."

"Open?"

"I was going to say sappy, but..."

The two laughed, enjoying the feeling of camaraderie they might not share again. At least, in the physical world.

"May the Force be with you, Master Windu."

"And you, Master Fisto."

Watching his airspeeder turn into one of just millions of dots buzzing around the sky of Coruscant, Mace cast one final look at the Jedi Temple far in the distance. He allowed himself a few brief moments of reverie, of the time he first came there. Of the endless, boring at the time studies he had to do from spaceflight to history. His ascension through the ranks of the Jedi. Becoming a Master in rank and practice. Training with Bipa and Sora. Making friends, losing others and so very, very much more... The recollections were wonderful and painful in equal measure. And he let them vanish into the Force, clearing his mind to the here and now.

The Senate building grew larger and larger the closer he flew. The sky darkening into dusk and then into full night on the way there, but the shadow of the place seemed to stand out even in those conditions. It was like staring into the maw of a gargantuan creature, gaping its mouth open at him in invitation. All of the Shatterpoints reconfigured themselves to it, creating a weave of choices and consequences of cataclysmic implications in thousands of different directions. So many things that could go right or wrong...

The upper landing bay, frequently used by members of the Order was empty. In fact, the more Mace tried to sense out the presence of anyone except Sidious, the more it seemed the place was completely empty. That was good, it meant no innocents would come to harm, he could fight as hard as he needed to, to win this. Entering further into the buildings, the doors wooshing open at his approach, the atmosphere inside grew noticeably more... Malevolent.

On the outside, all seemed as normal, on more than one occasion Sidious and the Council had to perform long meetings with one another in-person. In all those times, Mace never saw anything amiss. Not even recently when his suspicions of Palpatine's true allegiances became more pronounced. He wanted to smack himself for being so ignorant. From the blood-red carpets covering every floor to the very dim, yellow lights overhead enhancing the shadows rather than providing illumination, everything about the place screamed malevolence. An effect growing with each inch that closed the distance between Jedi and Sith.

The doors to Sidious' office opened as easily as all the rest, the aforementioned cosmetic changes done to the building the most pronounced there. The yellow sage statues of Dwartii stuck out against the thick shadows around the office, almost watching his every move. Sidious wasn't at the main office, however, but to the private one to the right. Warily, lightsaber in-hand, Mace crossed the empty room and into the hallway at the end of which two more statues stood. To his right were more of Palpatine's trinkets, one of which was an engraved bas-relief of the Great Hyperspace War and an urn. Sith artifacts one and all and in plain sight. Mace shook his head.

With a final woosh, the doors to Palpatine's private office opened, revealing a far smaller room adorned with black and metallic colors, another open view of Coruscant at the far end of it and a single desk with three chairs in-front and one at the back. There sat Sidious, typing away at something or other and without a care or worry in the galaxy. Eventually, he deigned to acknowledge Mace's presence. With the same disarming smile and warm look in his eyes, Sidious did a remarkable job of looking genuinely surprised and happy to see Mace there.

"Master Windu!" He said as though they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years. "This is a surprise! Please, sit down! I trust you're here with news of the investigation or perhaps Utapau?"

"The former," Mace said, locking eyes with him. "I know everything."

"Everything?"

"**Everything**."

Sidious sat there, tapping his desk gently with both index fingers. Then, he let out a small laugh unlike any Mace had heard from him before and the big, open eyes he'd used to befriend so many narrowed into tiny, hateful orbs. The Dark Side around the room intensified as if all its black cloud around Coruscant was suddenly being sucked into the office, into Sidious. Mace held his ground, the darkness passing through without touching him.

"Just as I have foreseen you would," Sidious said with a blandly pleasant voice. "No doubt Grievous is dead already. Unfortunate but necessary."

"Not as necessary as what I'm about to do," Mace said, letting his saber become plainly visible from the sleeves of his thick robes. "Your schemes are over, you lying snake."

When Mace's lightsaber snapped to life, something strange happened to Sidious. Instead of meeting the challenge Sidious... Panicked? His hands withdrew from the desk and he reeled into the chair as though struck already.

"Master Windu! What are you doing? Stop this?!" He actually squealed, panting heavily. "Master Dooku, stop him!"

At that moment, the holoprojector inside the room sprang to life and there, almost lifelike in size, Count Dooku showed himself, appearing as regal as ever and lightsaber drawn for battle. With a snap-hiss, he ignited it.

"Master Windu! Stop this!" Dooku said, sounding like a holonet hero and even entering a guard stance as though he could actually fight Mace from afar. "The Chancellor and I are negotiating a peace! The surrender of the Confederacy! There is no treason here!"

"Listen to him, Master Jedi!" Sidious said, pleadingly, sounding genuine. Like a frightened old man desperately pleading for his life. There was one thing that proved otherwise, the predatory smile on his face, the glint in his eyes saying "Got you again". No doubt the entire room was bugged with camera footage and/or recording devices feeding everything happening there to a safe location. Evidence of the enemies making that would ensure the incrimination of him and likely the entire Jedi Order in a conspiracy to murder the Chancellor.

Even if Mace won, Sidious' pawns would ensure it escaped and ruin the Jedi's already battered reputation, forever. If Mace chose not to fight at all, this Sith scum would butcher him and go about his plans. Mace couldn't help from clenching his saber hilt almost hard enough to bend it. Because Sidious was right. Once again, the Jedi lost before the fight even started by choosing to fight, period. And yet, the Sith scum made it impossible for them not to fight as well. The perfect Jedi trap, just like the Clone Wars...

Well, if those were their circumstances, he would choose to fight.

"No! No!" Sidious shouted again, more panicked than ever. "Murder! Treason!"

Before Mace could even deliver the first blow, however, a blood-red saber sprang from his sleeves, cleaving the desk in-half. Dooku's visage, smiling though with narrowed eyes, vanished. The Sith Lord blasted aside the desk to both ends of the room without a glance, instead, he stared at his blade in admiration.

"You've no idea..." He said, eyes turning yellow as the blade mere inches from his face bathed him in red turned around in his fingers. "How long I've been waiting for this."

There was a flash of movement, Sidious' body transforming into a blur of motion, mangling his features into a contorted monstrosity. Mace stood his ground and let it come to him and accepted the first strike with a blow, blocking it though it forced him back. Sidious struck, again and again, pushing Mace out of the room and into the hallway, their dancing blades almost carving the Sage statues outside.

The kind, elderly visage Sidious hid for decades proved the depths of its quality deception with each attack, striking Mace with the raw force of a man decades younger than either of them. His speed continued as a blur of motion, enhanced by the added room to breathe, transforming this blur into a leaping creature resembling Yoda himself. But Mace wasn't deterred by giving the Sith the initiative, he accepted every release of the Dark Side thrown his way, letting its energies empower him via Vapaad. Stoking the fire he'd always felt hidden deep within and decided to use for civilization.

When Sidious' next strike came, Mace rushed to meet it, their weapons locking with such perfect force as they were both stopped dead in their tracks. The Sith merely smiled at the display, no doubt pleased that the real fight was nigh. Breaking the lock with a push, Mace swung his weapon overhead then unleashed a blinding circle of purple energy when Sidious inevitably darted under and tried striking again. However, Sidious didn't retreat, pushing his body back just enough to buy time for a precise jab, a crack in Mace's attack.

Thanks to his Shatterpoint perception, Mace spotted it first and halted the motion, sidestepping and trying to carve Sidious from his lift kidney upward. The Dark Sider's own body twisted in a spin, taking him to safety and releasing a series of acrobatic blows Mace weathered then challenged head-on. The two soon left the hallway and entered the main office where Mace was greeted by chairs flung in his direction. Knowing he couldn't attack or defend effectively with just one hand, Mace let the objects get closer before carving them to tiny, unusable pieces in another sweeping series of Vapaad strikes.

The heavy atmosphere of the Dark Side thickened in the room considerably, drowning out the lights themselves until their sabers and the flashes of a lightning storm outside were the only light sources left. That and Sidious' piercing yellow eyes. In overhead stances, the two stood close to one another, waiting for who would make the first move. This time, they both became blurs of motion, darting around the room in every possible direction, striking with the force of battery guns and the speed of starfighters at one another. Every one of Sidious' blows seemed to boom with the Dark Side and every one Mace sent his way, did the same, causing the very wooshes and hisses of their blades to transform into a macabre song.

What Mace found worrying was how the Shatterpoints seemed to... Diminish around Sidious. Earlier on, he was able to recognize the faults in Sidious or his technique, letting him exploit potential chances for victory. Yet, as the duel went on and the Sith seemed to unleash more and more of his power... The fault lines letting Mace see opportunities to win were disappearing right in front of him. The only fault lines left were the ones connecting Sidious to the fate of the Republic itself.

His momentary, foolish lapse caused a grin to spread out on Sidious' face and he just barely reacted in time to stop the torrent of Sith lightning from eviscerating him. Grinding his teeth and keeping his blade held high, Mace felt the pure surge of Dark Side power unlike any he'd encountered before batter against his lightsaber. Even the superconductive loop of Vapaad was only capable of redirecting the power enough to keep fueling Mace's defense. Not to counterattack.

Soon enough, Mace felt his body push back further and further... Until his back nearly touched one of the bronzium statues. That was when a lone Shatterpoint appeared and once again, he only narrowly avoided death when a second saber flew from inside the statue and right into Sidious' lightning firing hand. Igniting it mid-leap, the Sith Lord came with a monstrous, guttural growl and renewed his assault, pushing both of them to the very edge of the window overseeing Coruscant around them.

It was like fighting a human version of Grievous. Watching this being of pure flesh and blood move with speed, ferocity and seemingly infinite stamina thought impossible. But Mace would not allow himself to be deterred, instead, he immersed himself deeper into Vapaad. Every single bloody thought of murder, anger, and hate sent by Sidious flowed into him as an ordinary Jedi let the soothing Force in. He let these feelings burn away his surprise, his worry and intensified his own counter-attack. If the Sith Lord seemed to strike twelve times a second, Mace struck with fourteen. Then Sidious attacked with twenty. Mace with thirty.

Any physical sensations he felt disappeared. Any pain from his joints, fatigue from his legs and choking feeling from his lungs went entirely ignored. Mace was far too busy transforming himself into Vapaad, an endless stream of purple lightsaber slashes transformed their immediate vicinity into a tornado of impossible to follow motions. The two of them moving so quickly at the edge of the window, it seemed they were flicking in and out of existence. Mace's only concern was keeping the dark from touching him too closely, a single piece of calm in a maelstrom of pure battle.

It was in the chaos of this battle, this inevitable showdown between Jedi and Sith that Windu came to a realization after a while: he was going to lose.

Despite all his years of training, decades of grueling self-discipline and mastery of a form created to counter even the greatest users of the Dark Side and to channel his own in service to the Order and Republic, it wasn't enough. No matter how deep he immersed himself into Vapaad, using every single bit of power Sidious threw at him with each saber slash, the Sith Lord just kept coming. Endlessly. Relentlessly. No matter what Mace did to cut him down, no matter how fast or strong, this... Thing wearing Palpatine's face in front of him responded with even more power.

It was like staring into a black hole - not from the safety of a spacecraft, but lingering inches away from it. Staring at the gaping maw of pure nothingness devouring every single shred of the Force around it to endlessly strengthen itself. Even trying not to perceive the depths of this manifestation of the Dark Side was a useless gesture. Mace felt it profoundly every time he took it into himself and released it back outward in the superconductive loop that was their duel.

It was cold. So very, very cold. Colder than any world he'd visited. Colder than even the vacuum of space which he had to fight in. It was a cold so chilling, Mace could feel his insides freeze. Every time the loop continued on, more and more of the power seeped into him, rattling his bones, making his teeth chatter. A frost so impossibly strong it soon burned. It would take more to stop such a power, more than Master Yoda's thousand years of practiced wisdom and battle prowess. More than Kenobi's pure expression of Jedi philosophy. Much, much more than a Jedi throwing the Dark Side back at itself.

But he had no other choice: if he stopped now, Sidious' blades would carve him to pieces. This inevitability didn't despair Mace, however. It gave him the strength to last as long as possible. Because for every single second he delayed this spiteful creature, every time he denied his lightsabers a winning stroke and kept him trapped in this seemingly endless loop of theirs was another second his plans were being stalled. One more precious moment for Mace's fellow Jedi to escape, regroup and survive.

This was the last thing Mace could do for them and for the people of the galaxy and as every other duty so far in his life, he carried it out with pure will and determination. And when the chill of Sidious' sheer Dark Side power finally became too much for him, when even Mace's Vapaad finally bent then broke, leaving him feeling exhausted, sluggish and frozen to the bone and left vulnerable for Sidious' blades, Mace accepted it wholly. He didn't scream in pain, yelp or even flinch. Instead, he calmly and with utmost dignity accepted his impending death.

Though he did take some measure of grim satisfaction at the last things he saw as a physical being. Smiling as the black hole of the Force quickly shrank to smaller and smaller sizes. All that was left was a very tired, very old looking man staring down at him. His sadistic pleasure completely ruined.


	19. Chapter 19

The day reminded Padmé of waiting for the Petranaki arena execution. No, it was worse. At least there she could roughly guess what would await her, Anakin and Obi-Wan. A bloodthirsty crowd numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Beasts or mercenaries or both hired to kill them all in ways to appease the masses and organizers. Rescue unlikely, the only chance of survival depending on whatever ingenuity or skills the three could bring to bear and hopefully last long enough to find a way out.

Stuck at home like a prisoner and performing her duties from afar only enhanced the tension permeating through the air. Her revelatory conversation with Anakin just shy of twenty-four hours ago removed what little security she still felt on Coruscant. People she once spoke to openly and considered friends became instantly suspicious quite literally overnight with a handful of exceptions. A sickening tension began to fill the air within every room of her home, like a blaster permanently pressed into your chest and the gunman taking his time to pull the trigger.

Padmé asked her husband if this was what the Dark Side was. The pregnancy changed her in ways besides the obvious. She felt more attuned to the people and even objects around her. At times it was like the joy or pain of another was intimately hers too. Perhaps this was what let Bail's growing dissatisfaction with Palpatine echo into her thoughts so effectively. And what let her feel the smog gathering in the air, like a poisonous gag leaving her short of breath. Anakin's confirmation and follow-up hypothesis that their Force-sensitive children were enhancing their mother's attunement to the mostly hidden currents of the universe making it all up gave her the final answer. His joke about Padmé becoming a Jedi once the twins came only slightly made her feel better. Anakin's quiet assurance that measures were taken for the protection of their family worked quite substantially more.

But fully relaxing was impossible, Palpatine or whoever he worked with would make his move as soon as things escalated again on Utapau. Padmé couldn't flee for fear of spurring him into earlier action. It also meant she couldn't increase her standard security measures lest the Sith become aware and bolster their efforts should they go after them. The situation there, however, would give her an opportunity to leave while whatever forces behind the scenes were too pre-occupied to focus solely on her escape.

The clothes she wore outwardly appeared her standard Senatorial garb, expanded to help conceal the pregnancy, but that was far from the only modification made. Built into the fabric was an intricate web of armor weave plating running through the length, protecting most of her body. The most significant portion of the weave covering her belly. It fit her needs perfectly, allowing for ease of movement and protection precisely tailored for surviving a fight or buying oneself enough time to escape it.

Her hidden weapon cache was never too far away. Built into the left couch of the veranda, a single press on her inconspicuous looking datapad would burst it open, revealing a slew of blaster and ion weaponry capable of bringing down any human or droid threat. Her daily routine was altered thanks to the pregnancy but not for the first time, she'd already reported feeling unwell on several occasions before. One more time shouldn't make things too peculiar, hopefully.

And so Padmé went about her business to the greatest level of normalcy possible. She chatted with Threepio, received regular security reports from Captain Typho, followed any goings-on in the Senate via communication with Bail or Mon Mothma. Nothing of substantial worth happened there. Palpatine spoke, the Senate bobbed their heads up and down throughout and the irrelevancy of the whole ruling body became even more woefully obvious. Eventually, night came and with it, the lingering effects of the Dark Side seemed to intensify, sending a chill running through Padmé.

With each passing moment, its thickness grew, smothering the entire apartment in a sensation that's only close comparison could be the vacuum of space. Even her instinct to escape right then and there was drowned out by the sensation. As if something were telling her nowhere was safe from this evil power. It was only the presence of the twins, a pair of beacons shining her surroundings that kept the feeling from overwhelming her entirely. That and the Dark Side suddenly... Leaving the apartment. Staring off into the distance, towards the dome of the Senate, Padmé could almost see the thick blankets of smog rushing past the skyscrapers of Coruscant through the rainy night and swirling above the dome. As if the power was focused there entirely. The thought of being in the middle of... That was maddening.

She didn't have long to stare, however, because something else in the apartment caught her attention: the lights inside suddenly going out along with a buzzing warning in the back of her head of imminent danger. She didn't know what it was or where precisely, but the same instinct from before now led her hand to dart quickly across the datapad and open the weapons cache. Before the hidden compartment split open and she could grab hold of an ion rifle - the first thing that came to mind for defense - a series of electrical, sizzling noises suddenly appeared from the shadows. Followed by the clanking of durasteel feet. One of them, the closest rushed toward her, its light-giving Padmé a close look at the mechanical monstrosity attacking her. A white cloak, twin red eyes and what looked like a staff bearing down in attack.

Before the staff could strike her, a snap-hiss from behind the couch accompanied by a green light blocked the stab a moment before the droid was flung back into the shadows. Padmé heard it crash against the wall while its partners began swinging their own weapons in almost dizzying maneuvers, their advance and attention focused on the elderly looking Jedi Knight whose appearance she could barely discern save for his hair being tied back into a tail. Stepping over the couch, he placed himself between her and the attackers, green blade held casually at his side.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" His aged but soothing voice said, taunting the droids.

They seemed to understand because their spinning about became even more impossible to follow. From what Padmé could see, there were at least seven or eight of the droid attackers, could the Knight really beat them by himself? When he made no move to defend himself, the question became even more obviously no, until something else happened in the shadows. A strange sensation swept through the room, a sort of warbling feeling that seemed to focus in from one spot behind the droids a moment before a purple lightsaber skewered one through the back and lobbed off another's arm.

Distracted by this new arrival, the remaining five droids left themselves open which the first Jedi to appear used to strike, slicing the tip of his blade across red eyes first and then severing its legs. When his hand came back up, Padmé expected him to push the two remaining droids occupied with him. Instead, he spun the discarded staff through the air like a buzzsaw, managing to simultaneously use it to attack while he jumped behind the attackers, engaging them in the more open section of the veranda. His partner was impossible to follow, whoever they were, they seemed to randomly disappear and then reappear in completely different spots, confounding Padmé almost as much as the attacking droids who found themselves assaulted and gradually wilted down through blinding lightsaber slashes all over their bodies.

The first Jedi, who'd dispatched another droid leaving him only with one lost the edge of surprise, being pushed back farther and farther into a corner by the attacker's relentless staff flourishes, now wielding two from one of its discarded pals. His partner was busy dispatching the last of her own droids. Padmé wasted no time, reaching into the cache and pulling out an ion rifle. Without thinking, her body seemed to move on its own, firing the ion blast through the dizzying motions and into the droid's right side stomach. The machine halted instantly, jerking in spasmodic motions while bursts of electricity made it shine in the darkened apartment. A moment later, the first Jedi carved it to pieces.

"You have my thanks, Senator Amidala," The first Jedi chuckled, holding his saber aloft to light the darkened apartment. Stepping closer, Padmé got a proper look at him. His black hair seemed grayed and the wrinkly features of his face might've made him appear imposing with the two scars adorning his face if it wasn't for the kindly, almost grandfather-like smile. "I am Master Tholme, one of the Jedi Masters tasked with overseeing your safety-"

"We've got to move, Tholme, there'll be more of them for certain," His partner spoke with an aged, decidedly less friendly voice. Her features masked even as the purple glow of her lightsaber illuminated the surroundings.

"Along with my charming partner, the Dark Woman," He laughed before sobering. "Who is incidentally correct, Coruscant is no longer safe for any of us. Come, we've not a moment left to lose."

* * *

The Temple was a mess of frantic activity. Padawans and younglings found themselves hastily removed from their classes or crèches and led deep into the underground pathways. Secret routes built following the Sack of Coruscant to ensure that, should the Jedi's home ever come under attack again, there would be ways to save the Orders future from harm and death. These pathways connected the Temple to secure, highly restricted underground paths running underneath Coruscant itself, along with landing pads with space-worthy vessels.

Kit Fisto already knew they had entered their first-ever use mere days prior when the evacuation began and was handled with more subtlety. Now, with the danger reaching its zenith, the Clone Wars approaching their crescendo, all semblance of normalcy was removed. Besides the departure of the young ones, troves upon troves of Jedi and even Sith knowledge were being transported as well by the various Knights and Masters overseeing the Temple Library. The enemy would gain no advantage from them.

Elsewhere, the Temple was sealed tighter than in any of the past one thousand years. All four main entrances into the Temple were sealed off with scores of Knights, Masters and even security personal and droids guarding each one. Master Tiin sat ready in the Temple hangar, ready to launch at a moment's notice to cut down any possible attack from the sky. A few other surprises recently installed to the Temple were also there to hamper the enemy. Yes, their home was ready. As much as it could be given the fact so many able-bodied warriors were far off-world, stuck between two enemy armies, one obvious and the other lying in wait for them. Luckily, the Council sent out warnings through Jedi specific and encrypted channels well before Palpatine was discovered to be Sidious. Telling Padawans, Knights and Masters alike a very simple message: do not trust the Clones.

Yet even as he stood at the promenade entrance, Master Draling and numerous other Jedi familiar and foreign to his eyes, Kit Fisto could not entirely believe what was happening. The Republic was well and truly lost. Its leader and supposed savior a Sith Lord who would, if Mace did not win, undoubtedly lay siege to them soon enough. A thousand years of peace and prosperity all nearing its end. Even Kit's good humor couldn't find a silver lining in such a situation. It was a feeling only enhanced by what he felt beyond the walls of the Temple.

The Dark Side was focused at a singular place, removing itself from all of Coruscant, drawn by Sidious... And Mace both. Kit was no stranger to its sensations, his chosen fighting style, and its inherent aggression sometimes taking him very close to places most Jedi would not and should not go. But what he felt here, even across several districts away was power beyond power. A nexus point of absolute dark energies with a weight he was sure could crush starships. Mace was most definitely drawing himself deep within that raging storm, but could he withstand it? Even with Vapaad.

Silently, everyone guarding the promenade observed the fight as though it were happening mere inches away, waiting to see what would happen. Wanting to intervene but knowing full well it would be futile. The retreating Jedi needed everyone to guard their escape and if Mace should fall, every moment he could buy for them. Kit didn't know how long they stood there, waiting for what would happen next. What he was certain of was the collective chill that ran down their bodies when the Dark Side simmered down but did not vanish.

Whatever storm that raged inside it had finished. But it didn't vanish. Instead, it began to spread back out across Coruscant, covering everything outside the Temple in the same smog as before. If its potency grew any more, the Jedi Temple would appear as a single island of normalcy in a void of absolute nothingness. Even the rainstorm of Coruscant's artificial weather seemed as far away from them as the system's sun.

"Shaak Ti," Kit contacted her, fingers curled tightly around his saber. "How close is the evacuation to completion?"

"Halfway there. We've already taken all of the information from the Archives to safety and deleted the rest," She sighed on the other end. "But we'll need more time if we're to get everyone out-"

The ground began to shake beneath their feet, increasingly so with each passing moment. A rhythmic thumping numbering in the thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands reverberated even through the vast Temple blast doors and stone walls. Even with their Force perceptions to the outside galaxy dimmed, none of the Jedi could doubt what was the cause of this...

"Jedi! This is CT-0000/1010 addressing you," The familiar voice of a Clone Trooper, of the bounty hunter Jango Fett, called out them from outside, his voice betraying no conflict or hesitation. "By order of the Supreme Commander of the High Army of the Republic, Chancellor Palpatine, you have been judged guilty of high treason, conspiracy and attempted murder of the Chancellor himself. Lay down your weapons, and you may avoid further death."

The assembled Knights and Masters stood in silence, letting the words sink in. A moment later, Kit Fisto couldn't help but laugh. Even with Mace's death, the fall of the Republic and the Jedi Order hours away, the fact that lying viper was still trying to play the kindly, reasonable authority figure was too absurd not to laugh at. Just another Jedi trap: if they accepted, Palpatine would ensure no one left the Temple alive, they would fabricate some show of force or resistance to justify pacification. Leaving them only to fight, working in his favor again. What enhanced the grim hilarity of the situation was the inevitable farce the next meeting of the Senate would be. The most heartbreaking piece of black comedy in a decade full of them.

Many of the nearby Jedi looked at him in shock, some in barely concealed disdain at his behavior. Master Drallig did neither, surprisingly enough. Instead, the Jedi Battlemaster trained by Master Yoda himself and who'd gone on to pass his wisdom and knowledge of all martial Jedi arts and beyond to well over a dozen generations simply smiled sadly. Kit instantly knew he'd grasped the situation as well. Kit sobered up quickly, however. His brief spasm of humor serving, as it always did, as a means of venting the dark thoughts and feeling from in and outside himself into the Force. An unorthodox approach to many and certainly never... Showcased as bluntly as just then but with the end approaching, it would not matter much.

"We'll hold them back, Shaak Ti," Kit said to her even as the marching outside steadily came to a halt. "Save as many as you can, we'll handle the rest."

"... Understood, Kit. May the Force be with you."

"You as well," Putting the projector away, Kit stared at the blast doors which would no doubt be brought down sooner or later. "Been a while since we've fought together, hasn't it, Master Drallig?"

"Indeed it has," The older Jedi said in a tone one would find more appropriate for a casual meetup in the hallways. "I'm quite curious to see how you've grown in that regard, young Kit."

"There'll be no shortage of demonstration from us all."

And so, the Jedi scattered throughout the main hall into pairs or groups of three, using the vast pillars inside and their own familiarity with the surroundings to their advantage. The lights inside were dimmed, they would not need them. Small security drones were dispatched around, to be sent as an initial attack force to distract the clones long enough while the real battle lied in wait. Soon enough, the pounding of blaster fire against steel and stone erupted. Booming throughout the inside of the Temple like a gargantuan gong. It came from all over, meaning they'd already dispatched aerial forces to no doubt open pathways for transport ships. Not that the higher levels mattered anymore, so long as the secret pathways leading to the escape routes at the bottom were covered, they could have the rest of the Temple. All several stories worth of it boobie trapped to hamper and destroy their advances.

The booming grew louder and louder, the sound of metal rending and sizzling nearby filled the air before at last, the main entrance was annihilated in an almost dazzling explosion of oranges and blues. Flashlights and shouts soon filled the otherwise silent hallway entrance. No doubt the other four ones were breached or soon to be. But the defenders of the main one did not bother themselves with worries for that. Nor did they let the fleeting worries and curiosities regarding the clones cloud their judgment. Their former allies wouldn't hesitate to strike them down and they couldn't afford to extend them such a courtesy. Even after three years of fighting together.

The security droids went first, their attack protocols set to the highest possible setting. The one reserved for Master-level Jedi practice. With blinding speed, the dozens of orbs descended upon the entering clones, pelting them from all sides with blast fire. Darting through hailstorms of returning shots. The Jedi waited silently, drawing on the Force perceptions beyond sight still afforded to them until the moment to strike presented itself. When it did, they did so fast and hard.

Kit and Cin Drallig were among the first to enter the fray, darting past the pillars and down steps in the darkness with the quickness of speeders, entering amidst the clone forces before any of them realized it. A great many would also die without knowing who or what cut them down. The snap-hisses of sabers were entirely drowned out by the noise of groaning or screaming troopers. The sizzling of metal and flesh. The cracking of armor and weapons.

Shii-Cho, Kit's fighting style excelled in this regard. Forming the purest possible basics of lightsaber combat, the style was raw, unpredictable yet also geared towards attacking precise strike zones on the body. Right arm, head, legs,... When taken to its highest possible level, it was possible for a Jedi to turn themselves into a wild dervish of the offensive moment, particularly effective against groups of soldiers. In spite of the clones firing with far more accuracy and greater reflexes than any Confederacy droid, they died by the scores.

Yet Kit wasn't arrogant enough to ever attribute this all to himself. For every five clones he felled, Master Drallig seemed to multiply that number by ten. From what fleeting moments he and the other Jedi defenders could see in the madness of fighting, the Troll showed himself to be one well worthy of his reputation. One moment, he would practically fly across the sky like Master Yoda before grounding himself and swatting aside hails of blaster fire with an ease Kenobi would've been impressed by. His punches and kicks were strong. His blade wild but precise. His Force pushes far-reaching and powerful.

The other Knights and Masters descended into the fray, crashing against the incoming stream of enemy forces far outnumbering them. Kit was instantly reminded of Geonosis from years ago. Whoever else in this group to survive that particular encounter no doubt thought the same. Among other things concerning the arena. But there was nothing left for words, or worries or fears. Each and every Jedi there from the youngest to oldest simply drew themselves into the Force. Letting it guide them perhaps in ways they'd never felt so profoundly before.

When they struck, dodged, fleed, taunted or lured, it was all by the designs of a power far beyond them but one they were happy to serve. This feeling did not diminish, not even as the fighting dragged on for minutes then hours, even as their numbers began to diminish and more and more portions of the entrance hall were demolished or sacrificed to hold back the enemy. The calls of other Jedi, reporting in more break-in throughout the Temple, cries of fear or even anger went un-answered. There was only the here and now.

An explosion to his side, taking the lives of three Security Force Jedi nearly sent Kit stumbling to the ground were it not for Master Drallig pressing his back against Kit's, steadying him. Without a word, they took a tried and true formation of the Order when faced by countless blaster wielders: back to back defense. Covering each other this way, the two Masters were able to draw more and more enemy fire toward themselves while the younger Knights, those who could and should still escape fled into the deeper parts of the Temple. Once they were away, the various passageways leading into the center of the base level burst into fire from explosive rounds, burying their retreat behind hundreds of tones of ancient stone and rubble.

The fact it left Kit and Cin Drallig trapped there with nearing hundreds of clones and many, many more still waiting outside was irrelevant. The two Jedi shared the telepathic approximation of acknowledging nods and together, unleashed a telekinetic blast of such force, the various clones were hurtled through the sky like insects against a wind storm. It also blasted the accumulated smoke of grenade and other explosive detonations in all directions, clouding the enemy's lines of sight. The two of them wasted no time in darting in, carving a bloody swath through clone after clone. Even procuring discarded lightsabers from their fallen brothers and sisters.

There was nothing the two didn't resort to in this final stand. Stabs and slashes through any point in the body. Punches, kicks, elbow strikes of bone-crunching, meat grinding kinetic power. Applications of the Force as obscene as flinging massive stones or as subtle as momentary mind tricks to buy just a precious moment longer. So all-consuming was this immersion in the Force that Kit did not even notice the myriad of scorching injuries he'd acquired throughout the night until a series of rocket explosions to his immediate right consumed Master Drallig in fire and propelled Kit across the room.

Something inside crunched when his back struck against a thick, stone pillar, his entire body going numb and lightsabers lost to him in the detonation. Any attempt to get back up left him crashing back onto the ground, blood gushing out in loud coughs. But he didn't focus on these material sensations or even a teacher's death which he embraced with a calm, ease. Instead, Kit Fisto noticed the sun shining outside, through the crack in the roof. Its warmth was very, very soothing.

Dimly, he could sense more clones approaching his location, slowly and with much more apprehension than one dead man deserved. But Kit didn't mind, it let him enjoy the rays for what felt like a long, relaxing time. It also gave him the time to do one more thing.

"Is he dead?" A clone asked, blaster rifle trained for Kit's head, his companions halting their assault and staring in the Jedi's direction.

"... No, he's not..." The one most at the forefront said, a tone of frustration cutting through usual clone professionalism. "But I'm fixing that."

Kit's only response was to laugh, letting the sound carry through the usually silent room and shock the clones freezing in-place. Though, the effect might have been enhanced by his entirely bloody teeth. It didn't matter, their hesitation bought him enough time to reach out through the Force one last time, activating several carefully placed demolition charges or frag grenades amongst the troopers. Before the fire even reached them, him and swallowed the entire entrance hall, Kit already passed away peacefully into the Force.


	20. Chapter 20

Before Grievous' decapitated head touched the ground, Obi-Wan and Anakin already moved to reposition themselves behind one another in a joint defensive stance. The former entered the Soresu ready stance, blade held at chest height and knees bent to shrink his height, minimizing all forms of body exposure. The latter pulled his blade back in a Shien opening stance, exposing considerably more of his body and inviting the droids to open fire. An imminent attack numbering in the thousands.

Despite remaining staunchly indifferent even as their recently deceased commander steadily lost his fight, the droids' mechanical brains didn't lack quite enough common sense to not respond to his demise. In an instant, thousands of whirs, clanks, and shifts between metal parts commanded by servo motors filled the air. Arms and legs shifted, arm and handheld blasters and cannons aimed and mechanical brains worked at lightning speeds to process the firing order to come.

Even for the Team who'd survived and cut down more than a few seemingly overwhelming swarms of battle droids, this situation was troublesome. Not simply because of the sheer number of blaster bolts about to get fired, but the disparity in power between them. Some shots were capable of scorching through clone armor whilst others could rip armored trooper carriers apart. Lightsabers alone could not compete with the latter and their available room to flee was decidedly limited.

An ordinary bystander might think Obi-Wan and Anakin had reached the end of their path. They would be quite wrong. Despite the odds stacked against them, neither Jedi felt worried or afraid. The Force would provide for them or it wouldn't. The answer became clear to them in the moments before the entire hangar turned into a two-man focused free-fire zone. With blinding speed and deathly quiet, Boga and Dobu both darted through the upper levels of the hangar, never leaving it in-spite of their rider's instructions. The dragonmounts showcasing their keen skills of observation and problem-solving in a pinch by copying Obi-Wan's earlier maneuver.

Striking at the handles keeping various, gargantuan crates suspended overhead, their sharpened rock climbing claws proved equally good at carving through durasteel. Each resounding boom of the things falling several stories was followed by the visceral crunches and splats of entirely or partially decimated battle droids. It was just the break the Jedi needed. Running in the same direction as their mounts still up above, Anakin and Obi-Wan took full advantage of the droid's diminishing numbers, scattered attention and newly afforded crate cover to turn the odds back in their favor. Without even gracing the dozens of bolt still sent their way with so much as glances, the two kept each other covered on both sides and promptly leapt off the hangar edge.

Dobu and Boga were already there, clawing into the forty-five degree angled slab of metal just under the hangar's open section and waiting for their riders. Once Obi-Wan and Anakin were both safely in their saddles, the dragonmounts leaped further still, circumnavigating through the metal monstrosity that was the outer hull of a parked Confederacy vessel. The chaos throughout the sinkhole city spread quickly, with droid groups situated all over either beginning to or already firing on the Jedi.

The dragonmounts, with more than a little help from the Jedi guided by the Force, darted to one side or another even as rocks and slabs exploded into minuscule chunks just a few feet away from them. That wasn't the problem, however, it was the fact they had to keep going down.

"We'll have to turn around soon!" Obi-Wan shouted, mentally nudging Boga to perform a leap away from a jutting rock that was about to get incinerated. "We can't afford to get stuck on this planet for too long!"

"Don't worry!" Anakin shouted back, pointing up to the sky. "They'll be busy shooting at someone else!"

Trusting Boga to keep them alive, Obi-Wan risked a glance to the top of the sinkhole city and there found a large dot against the system's sun. A dot growing by the moment into a very familiar, and for the time being, comforting sight of a Venator-class cruiser. And it wasn't alone. Dozens upon dozens of smaller ships swarmed out of it like a riled insect hive, troop carriers, assault vessels and of course, grappling clone troopers attacking in the thousands. The larger distraction all but negated the pressure on Obi-Wan and Anakin, allowing the two to finally begin climbing with more or less nothing impeding them.

Explosions went off constantly, the sounds of blaster fire seemed to come from everywhere and on their comlinks, the Team could hear chatter from troops across all levels, reporting in injuries, victories, defeats and stalemates alike. Cycling through channels, they eventually heard the voice they needed to hear.

"General Kenobi, General Skywalker!" Cody shouted, a hailstorm of fighting coming through from his background. "I'm at level three in the city, if you can hear me, please respond!"

"We're close, Cody!" Obi-Wan shouted as Boga and Dobu howled and clawed their way upward, knowing instinctively where to go. "But we won't be able to stay and help you this time, I'm afraid. Some other urgent matter requires our attention elsewhere. Troop command is fully yours."

"Understood, General!" Cody said, no doubt wondering if this other something had to do with Master Kota's plan burning in space. "What about Grievous? Have you managed to capture him?"

Obi-Wan did not say, looking to Anakin to his left. His former apprentice looked at the communicator as though it were a viper ready to strike, his brow furrowed with worry and concentration at something only he could perceive. But he was not too distracted to confirm with a nod the silent question: Gunray and his comrades were captured and gone. The plan had so far worked and the Sith and Jedi both on Coruscant were no doubt stirred into their next respective moves. Lying to Cody was entirely unnecessary. He would ask Anakin once they were safe what exactly now was bothering him so.

"Grievous is dead," He said a moment later. "Anakin and I have taken care of him. No sign of Count Dooku, however, though we're both quite certain he fled the planet before we arrived."

"Congratulations, sirs," Admiration entered Cody's otherwise professional voice. "I knew you could do it."

"Thank you, Cody, I suspect you'll still have quite a battle on your hands regardless."

"Nothing we haven't trained for, General."

About twenty or so minutes later, they'd reached Cody's position. At the far end of a sinkhole entrance level, the clone troopers had already done away with most of the defending droid forces, creating a safe enough of a perimeter to establish an on-field command post. Barricades, parked assault vehicles, and even a mobile communications array were already installed. Anakin and Obi-Wan's starfighters were there as well, with Geenine and Artoo safely inside their slots. Cody himself was easy enough to spot, he was the only clone without a helmet. With as much of an enthusiastic smile as he could muster, Cody approached the Jedi as their mounts finally stopped to a halt, their large, scaly bodies throbbing from exertion.

"Don't worry, they're quite friendly," Obi-Wan assured some of the clones casting glances at the large mounts. To emphasize the point, Boga bowed quietly as she could and respectfully, making it an easy effort to dismount her. Dobu eyed the troopers with something approximating Anakin's earlier furrowed brow of concern before yielding as well. "You wasted no time, I see, Cody."

"None whatsoever, General," They shook hands first, Anakin doing so after and showing none of the worries Obi-Wan could sense radiating off of him through the Force. "You should be out of the system in mere minutes."

"That's good," Anakin said, running a hand through his hair. "We'd love to stay and fight but this really can't wait."

"Say no more, sir. Just know I wish you the best of luck with whatever you've got to do next."

What troubled Obi-Wan and Anakin was the fact Cody genuinely meant it. The clone's strength of mind and instilled discipline made them quite troublesome to get a read on through the Force. Yet now, the commander had opened himself to the two of them in a way many of his brethren never did. Even after years of fighting alongside their own Jedi. Of course, up until recently, they'd learned to trust the clones implicitly but matters on Coruscant had cast a shadow over this relationship. It was with this in mind, even Obi-Wan found himself pausing a moment longer than he should have, placing a friendly hand on Cody's shoulder.

"And you as well, my friend," He smiled and then turned away, partly to avoid letting something show and to say farewell to a pair of new friends as well. Boga looked at him, a disciplined, trusting but also independent being. One whose loyalty and initiative had proven so invaluable. With a gentle hand, he stroked her beak and the dragonmount almost purred at his touch. "Thank you, Boga, it has been an honor riding with you."

Anakin's mount was not quite so affectionate. Instead of bending down or allowing himself to be stroked, Dobu locked eyes with Anakin and something unknowable even to Obi-Wan's senses passed between them. The male dragonmount simply let out a long huff and nodded at his rider. Obi-Wan's former apprentice actually managed to smile sincerely and returned the gesture.

"Take care of them, Cody," Anakin instructed him. "They're some of the best friends you'll find down here."

"Of course, General."

With that, they both turned away from the mounts, Cody and the clone troops either standing guard or advancing deeper into the sinkhole cities. Anakin reached his starfighter first and whispered to Artoo. The astromech let out a series of quieter than usual beeps and whistling noises. A check to make sure no one had tampered with their vessels in the meantime. Anakin's nearly imperceptible nod confirmed nothing of the sort happened, they could leave promptly and so they did.

Locking themselves in, the two Jedi activated their ships once again and watched the world of Utapau shrink beneath them. The battle raging underneath, the scores of clones dying and droids falling, the native inhabitants hiding in safety or battling for their home. The attack cruiser hanging over the sinkhole shrank as well, a giant, unmoving piece of metal against a storm of hyperwinds gradually eating away at it. These same hyperwinds made the flight off Utapau decidedly longer and more problematic than it would've otherwise been. Making the trip to their hyperdrive rings, left just beyond the planet's gravity well a needlessly grueling task.

"It's Coruscant," Anakin's voice came through the radio, harder than his ship's hull. "The Dark Side... It's changed there, it's swirling around the Senate Dome..."

_And so it is true... _Obi-Wan thought, feeling a momentary chill of shock and fear reverberate through him. He immediately sent it away, through his entire body and into the Force. Anakin needed him to lean on, there would be time later... To take in the worst on his own terms.

"Anakin... I am so sorry..."

"It's horrible, Obi-Wan... It's like he's made a black hole around himself, I've never felt anything this heavy before... So chilling..."

"And Padmé? Has Sidious gone after her?"

"... No... " His voice became even thicker, ragged. He was struggling to breathe in and out, to send these thoughts away into the Force. "But they're coming after her... I can feel her Jedi guards fighting-"

And then, Anakin suddenly took a long, sharp inhale of breath. It sounded so painful Obi-Wan almost thought a lightsaber had cut into him again. "Anakin? Anakin?!"

Artoo answered him, instead, a series of panicked whistles and beeping noises. It was not hard to see why the starfighter started spinning out of control. Obi-Wan wasted no time with spectating, activating his ship into a full burst, he flew towards Anakin's. He tried to reach out into the Force, to tell him to wake up or snap out of it but it was no use, Anakin was... Lost, somewhere, someplace deep within the Force. The occurrence must've been so sudden his hands flailed the steering wheel about, causing the ship to utterly lose control. Obi-Wan could do not help him this way, but he could stop him from falling back to Utapau.

Closing his eyes and imagining the ship's controls in his mind's eye and reached out with an open palm towards the steering wheel, telekinetically grabbing hold of it and steadying the starfighter manually.

"Artoo," His voice came out bland, distant. "Activate autopilot functions, you'll have to fly the ship until Anakin can-"

It was only the sudden warning from the force that saved Obi-Wan's life. Without even getting a moment to think, his body moved on its own, abandoning the hold over Anakin's controls and forcing his starfighter into a spinning movement, allowing the vessel to emerge from a hail of blaster cannon fire unscathed. Blaster fire from clone ships, exiting the hyperwind storms of Utapau and coming directly for them.

"Fly on, Artoo," Obi-Wan said, repositioning the starfighter to meet the incoming clones. Though his perceptions in the Force were nothing on the level of Master Yoda or Anakin's latest abilities, he could spot the cold, clone indifference even through the vacuum of space. He wished it wasn't there and once again let his thoughts momentarily linger on things, events and people far away and beyond his help before Qui-Gon's advice returned him to the moment at hand.

* * *

Anakin couldn't say how long he lingered in the Dark. Its expansion from the Senate dome to seemingly covering the whole of Coruscant itself came so impossibly quickly and fiercely, he couldn't move his perceptions away in time. The sensation feeling like someone burying his entire body in ice, taking the air out of his lungs and gouging his eyes. Whatever movement he tried to make was impossibly heavy, whatever name he shouted was consumed by a deafening silence. Even his worries for the Jedi Order, for Master Windu, the Republic itself, his family all vanished next to one question: how could anyone choose to live with this kind of power? You'd have to be deluded or completely insane.

The fact he could put a face to this insanity, the face, and voice of a man he thought were so kind, so thoughtfully and so righteous for so long. The voice of a friend, of a man he'd considered family right alongside Obi-Wan, his wife, and his mother. All a lie, a mask to hide this... A monstrosity of the Force. Something so horrible it shouldn't have even been possible to appear in human form at all.

If it weren't for a single strand amidst this darkness, glowing brighter and brighter as it moved away from Dark Side, Anakin wasn't sure how he would've found himself again. Padmé and the twins, their unique sensation in the Force invigorated him, gave him the strength to escape. Holding onto this feeling for dear life, Anakin let it carry him out of the black hole and away from Coruscant. He felt like he could breathe again, but just for a moment.

The second he gathered his thoughts, he had to leave his family behind and stretch out to everyone else and what he felt there almost made him want to go back to the Dark. All throughout the galaxy, Anakin Skywalker sensed the Sith's endgame happen in real-time, as though he were a live spectator to the events. As though he was the possible victim to them himself.

He was Barriss Offee on Felucia, gasping for breath and fleeing into the jungles after an AT-TE nearly blew her up. He was Aayla Secure, clutching her bleeding side as clone blaster bolts whizzed past her head. He was Master Mundi, trapped in a command headquarters with dozens of hostile clones closing in from every side. He was Master Koon, performing every trick in the book to keep his damaged starfighter from crashing or exploding. He was Master A'Sharad, saving fellow Jedi from clone backstabbing even as a bolt sizzled into his belly. Anakin Skywalker was all of these individuals and so many, many more. A witness to their survival and their deaths.

But not the only one.

The one exception who could also perceive the tragedy of the Jedi Order unfolding across the galaxy. Master Yoda, looking as though he'd been struck with a saber through the heart, his eyes distant and breath ragged as he took it all in. It broke Anakin's heart to see him this way. Somehow, Anakin managed to focus enough to send a signal to the Grand Master, to tell him that not everything had gone horribly wrong. Master Yoda looked at him then, acknowledging his presence and seeming to draw strength from it. The pain was still there but seeing another Jedi, even though the Force and so far away to physically help him caused the tiny, green Jedi to stand taller. In turn, Anakin felt his own shock diminish, Master Yoda's resolve strengthening his.

"Thank you, Anakin," Yoda's voice carried itself through the Force, making it seem as though they were right next to one another. Even more incredibly, the Grand Master managed a genuine smile before someone from behind caught his attention. With an imperceptible nod, Yoda refocused his attention back to the matter at hand. Anakin did not sense or feel his death or pain in the Force. But what he did feel was worry... From Obi-Wan?

With a gasp of breath, Anakin blinked a dozen times over, stared wildly at the cockpit. Artoo beeped, alarms rang in his ears and outside... A little ways behind him, clones were trying to gun down Obi-Wan. Not on his watch.

Without a word, Anakin focused on the here and now and took full control of the ship, ignoring Artoo's relieved whistle sigh and sped toward the dozens of clones zipping around Obi-Wan. Taking a calming breath, Anakin made all his skills as a pilot conjoins with the will of the Force. Obi-Wan, whose starfighter was smoking from the left side was moving just a bit too sluggishly. But when Anakin's assault began, Obi-Wan moved out of the way deftly enough. The clones, who were completely indifferent to the prospect of murdering their own General, didn't see Anakin coming.

Timing his spin and blaster fire precisely, he took down over 15 enemy pilots in move. While the rest were busy wondering just what happened, Obi-Wan jumped back into the fray, taking the offensive route and acquiring a respectable 14 kills of his own. The rest of them were smart enough to back off enough while their incoming reinforcements came to back them up. Not that they'd get there fast enough.

Pushing their ships to the uttermost limits, Anakin and Obi-Wan entered their hyperdrive rings and punched in the coordinates, vanishing well away from the Battle of Utapau.


	21. Chapter 21

"Mistress Padmé... Mistress Padmé...!" Threepio's gentler than usual voice roused her from the sleepless rest. She was grateful it was one of those considering the circumstances. Their flight from Coruscant was a troubling affair for reasons beyond the ones that managed to pile up in the madness of the past week. A siege, Palpatine's probable ties to the Sith and then an attack on her own home by Separatist forces. A more... Ordinary person, for lack of a better term, would've been pushed to their limits just from one of these instances.

That wasn't a luxury afforded to her.

After grabbing hold of Threepio, Jedi Masters Tholme and the Dark Woman kept them covered during the escape through the secret places Padmé installed after the Separatist attacks on her three years ago. One such place was a hangar, always primed and ready to go. Yet as they boarded the hidden craft and prepared to leave, two things happened right after the other. It was impossible for her to decide which of them was worse.

The first was a gargantuan boom, so far away and still close enough for the explosion causing it to light up the viewport and its fire to blaze against the night backdrop of Coruscant. The Jedi Temple came under attack. The home of some of the galaxies greatest fighters, wisest beings, and the place where her husband had grown up and her children would as well burned. Even from the considerable distance separating her and the monumental structure, Padmé could see streaks of blaster and artillery fire pound against the outside. The lights of aircraft circling around one another followed smaller explosions going off.

It was such an impossible thing to see happen that Padmé focused her whole attention there for what felt like an eternity. More likely a few moments at most. But it was all the time the other thing needed to reach out for her. The Dark Side crept toward her like a viper would to its prey. The cold chill of it running across her skin and seeping into her bones was so sudden and tangible she could swear it was choking her.

It didn't let up, even as her Jedi protectors took off from the Senate District at full speed, leaving their home behind with a stalwart determination even as it burned behind them. If anything, the widening physical distance made the intangible sensation stronger. This thing she never perceived before was trying to drag her back down into whatever black abyss was left of Coruscant.

That was when her family came to her rescue. The Dark Side didn't scare the twins, even as it appeared to practically claw through her belly towards them. Her children, not even born yet, showed an unwavering resistance to the power. The warmth coming from them was her lifeline, and Anakin's too. Padmé sensed him as well, reaching out first into Coruscant itself. She almost yelled at him to stay away before his thoughts found them. It was a brief sensation but it was all the four of them needed to last this part of the nightmare out.

She hoped anyway. Anakin left them just as quickly as he came. No doubt he and Obi-Wan were in some immediate trouble on Utapau, either from the droids... Or their own troops. It didn't need a master investigator to put the pieces together: Palpatine was the secret Sith Lord and just a few days ago named himself Supreme Commander of the GAR. Every single Jedi in the galaxy was trapped between two armies out to kill them.

Master Tholme made her feel a little better, managing a comforting smile despite the circumstances and telling her that the Jedi forces were forewarned about possible clone treachery. It wasn't a perfect solution, no doubt many would still die regardless. But a knife to the back is always far easier to avoid if you hold even a sliver of doubt. If only they'd done the same with Palpatine sooner...

It was the thought she fell asleep with once the exhaustion of everything overcame her. Now, as she sat there, stifling a yawn and adjusted for the hundredth time in her seat and watched outside the viewport, her main thought was: where were they? Into view came a large, cloudy world whose very terrain and oceans were shades of green. A jungle world? Possible but hard to say from just a first look. The unfamiliar coordinates punched in didn't give her any answers either.

"Sleep well, Senator?" Master Tholme asked with a friendly smile.

"Not sure I still am one," Padmé ruefully answered. "But yes, I rested fine."

"Do you need anything, mistress?" Threepio spoke up. "Water? A thicker blanket?"

"I'd advise against picking the second choice. Where we're going, well, let's just say being cold won't be a worry."

The Dark Woman, as ever, remained grimly silent. Her gaze far away and consistently pained ever since the Temple attack. Looking back to the growing planet before them, other ships came into view. Some of them non-descript transport vessels while the vast majority were Actis-class interceptors. Anakin had talked her ear off about those well enough for the craft to be instantly recognizable. Even for someone who was most assuredly no expert in the field.

The fact she could count well over three dozen of them flying into the upper atmosphere of the nameless world meant a fair number of Jedi had survived. She would soon learn they were far from the only ones. Silently, their craft made way through the atmosphere and dense, white clouds hanging overhead to reveal the thick, misty jungle world below. As far as the eye could see, there with hundreds of thousands of tall, wet-looking trees with infinite coils of branches moving around and inside them. The water, of what little she could make out of it, was almost as green as the leaves.

Yet, their destination and of the other Jedi was unmistakable. Jutting out from the wilderness was a temple or rather the ruins of one. Even in its most pristine condition, it was nothing in comparison to the size of the one on Coruscant. There was no grand spire jutting out from the base of it nor was it a ziggurat. Instead, the shape of it was closer to a trapezoid with a small tower providing the highest peak of the structure. Smaller towers were scattered about, in various forms of disrepair and connected by a series of interlocking inner and outer walls which had also been claimed by nature.

Down below, as they hovered above a makeshift landing platform, Padmé got a good look at the buzz of activity. Dozens, if not hundreds of people, were running all above the place, some of them carrying crates of equipment or some other valuables important for the other. Makeshift medical teams helped wounded Jedi from their starfighters. Squinting against the bright, morning sun coming into the cockpit, Padmé could've sworn she spotted someone resembling Obi-Wan leading a group of children in an organized line into the temple.

But one person stood out from them the most. He waited for them, for her, just outside the platform with a tiny, unmistakable astromech droid by his side. The instant the ship landed with an audible thud, she rushed out. Threepio's protests about running in her condition went ignored, the blast of heat might as well have not existed, the chaos of a galaxy going to dark places forgotten. The only thing that mattered was the fact her, their family came together again in a crushing hug.

* * *

"My Master-" Dooku began to kneel as the blue holoprojection of Darth Sidious sprang to life, the glow illuminating the otherwise pitch-black control room within the Klegger Corp Mining Facility. In the hours since his performance within the Supreme Chancellor's suite against Master Windu, Dooku returned to immersing himself within the Dark Side of the Force within the lava planet. As he already had for days since the failure above Coruscant. The intoxicating power soothed away some... troublesome thoughts regarding his former Jedi colleague.

Dooku knew from the beginning of his apprenticeship that Windu would have to perish. He was, despite his paradoxically close relationship to the Dark Side, a Jedi through and through. Loyal beyond all reason to the failing, aging beast deserving of death that was the Republic. Yet, something about his old friend's look of shock and resigned betrayal, the last he would ever see... Lingered far, far too long. Thankfully, his empowering through the mighty nexus that was Mustafar rectified the issue.

Still, Sidious had a talent for noticing weaknesses such as Dooku's scant but lingering instances of Jedi fondness as it were. It was for this reason, he channeled all of his years of self-control, forged from decades of experience and naturally present for one of higher birth such as himself into ensuring Master Sidious did not detect it this time around. There would be no unintended outburst concerning Windu as there was to giving Kenobi another chance above Coruscant before their duel.

What almost immediately shattered Dooku's dignified visage was Sidious himself. For the first time in years, he stood as Chancellor Palpatine while conversing with his apprentice. That was not the issue, it was the look of pure, seething rage in his yellow eyes. An image enhanced by his curled fingers and curled lips. Even half the galaxy away and in the thickness of Mustafar's own Dark Side energies, Sidious' power seeped through, as a chill ran through a man soon to fall with a fever.

"My Master," Dooku finished the greeting and the bow, trying not to let the appearance unnerve him, visibly or otherwise.

"Tyrannus," Sidious's voice was made of ice. "Our plans have not borne fruit, the threat of the Jedi remains and quite powerful at that."

"They managed to escape...?" Dooku dared to ask.

"Survive," The word tasted like poison from his lips. "They have survived in far greater numbers than they ever should have when they should have been exterminated to the last. Despite capturing the Temple, we've gained nothing but thousands of dead clones and a burned-out husk. All of their knowledge within, all of the knowledge taken for us was carried off in secret. The less said about their casualty rates throughout the battlefields the better."

Dooku blinked once, then twice, staring at the nearly pitch-black floor. Casualty rates? Extermination? What was happening here?

"Forgive me, my Lord," he said carefully, voice full of respect and reverence for his superior. "But... What is all this talk of Jedi extermination? Was there some alteration to our plans beyond my understanding?"

The tiny black holes within Sidious' otherwise yellow eyes managed to narrow still and Dooku immediately found it very difficult not to look away.

"And what was your understanding of the plan, Lord Tyrannus?"

"Mass conversion," Dooku said at as though it were as obvious as calling Mustafar a burned, lava churning firepit. "We would expose the wrongs and failures of the Republic, remove what few remaining Jedi would inevitably stand in our way and convert the survivors into a grand army for the Empire to come. A Sith army for a Sith rulership!"

Sidious said nothing, his piercing gaze lingering on Dooku. The Count's apprehension for holding it only grew with time until it was his Master who broke eye contact first, to laugh. His curled lips gradually turned into a faint smile, then a chuckle before he, the greatest Lord of the Sith to ever exist, cackled. Loudly and breathlessly. Arms spread out and head pulled back. The fact Sidious had never in all of their years of speaking done something like this was reason enough for Dooku to gawk in quite an undignified fashion. His laugh coming out as a guttural echo from some far away, impossibly deep tunnel whose sound seemed to drill into the Count's head and corrode his confidence away was infinitely worse.

"A most amusing thought, my apprentice," He said with all of the amusement leaving his voice instantaneously. Laboriously, Sidious' body returned to its previous stance save for the smile managing to enhance his scowl. "And what did I ever say or do to imply such events would come to pass?"

"Y-You said," Dooku's voice left him and embarrassingly he took a moment to steady himself. "You said the Jedi would be dealt with-"

"Quite right, death is an effective means of disposing of one's enemies, after all."

"I..." Dooku gapped, mind racing through all of their numerous conversations. Sidious must have spoken of a grand Sith army, a force to serve the coming Empire of man, to remove the need of simply two Sith in all of the galaxy. Yet, as he tried to remember any such occasion that did not include any of his own grand designs for the future inspired by Sidious' words, nothing of the sort came to him. All he could recall were endless promises and statements about correcting the failures of the Republic, the need for a new power to rise in the form of an Empire... And the necessary fall of the Jedi to accomplish both.

"Your memory still serves you quite well, my apprentice," Sidious' voice cut through his recollections with the swiftness and ease of a saber. "So we cannot blame your poor understanding of what has and what will come to pass on this."

"I-"

"Could it be that your thoughts of a grand Sith army come from your lingering sentimentality for the Jedi?"

"No!" Dooku denied it promptly and with a fury entering his voice. "My allegiances to the past are gone, for reasons-"

"For reasons, I understand quite well, yes," Sidious' voice lowering doused the nascent flames of the Count's indignation. "Yet I can find no other reason for you believing, no, expecting that I would spare thousands of Jedi. Worse, that I would break the sacred Rule of Two to do... What, I wonder? Spare enough of your comrades so the losses of the comparatively few dead could rest easier on your conscience? Come now, Tyrannus, I thought you a far more practical man."

"It is practicality which guided my... Assumptions. Even if most of the Order were too troublesome to convert, surely attempting to do so would be beneficial to us. A force to channel the Dark Side and spread your will throughout the chaos of the galaxy that is sure to come from the wake of the Clone Wars!"

"Thousands of rivals," Sidious said matter of factly. "A foolishness the Sith entertained for far too long and were nearly destroyed for it. One I would never suffer. The only galaxy in which the Sith can rule forever is a galaxy without Jedi. There is nothing more our ancient foes deserve than absolute annihilation."

Dooku stared at the holoprojector and felt something shaken within him, something he had not felt since his encounter with Yoda on Vjun. Just as in that occasion, the Count very nearly allowed himself to wonder if... No, that would not do. Under no circumstances. His mind was made up years ago and there was no room for... Doubts. Not privately... And not with Sidious standing before him, probing through his mental shields to get to Dooku's heart. The Count didn't care let him do it again, the results would be horrifying.

And so, Dooku let the power of the Dark Side flow into him, chewing at these useless thoughts and feelings as a great beast would maul its prey. Devouring them into depths where they would trouble him no more. With a steely, dignified gaze, he met Sidious' eyes.

"You are right, of course, my Master," He bowed again. "Forgive the foolishness of an old man. Please, how might I serve you next?"

"Similarly to what we did to Master Windu," A faint note of approval entered Sidious' voice. "I am addressing the Senate this afternoon, prepare to perform as you never have Tyrannus. We've quite an audience to please."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to some college stuff being reshuffled around, I've suddenly got a whole bunch of free time. Maybe enough to finish the fic soon...? We'll see.**


	22. Chapter 22

"This is our room... It's not quite what you're used to but..."

"It's fine," Padmé assured him with a smile as they stood at the entrance to their... Home, she supposed. It was not within the Temple as she expected it to be when Anakin first mentioned it to her. Rather, they along with many of the younger Jedi and their caretakers were given rooms inside a Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser parked in the Temple's makeshift landing area. Too much of the Jedi's new home was in a poor state and would take time to repair, to make it properly livable. The adults could suffer it but children and pregnant women had no business sleeping in moss-covered rooms with holes in the floor. Anakin's words, not hers.

Though, even the Dreadnaught had seen better days. Its outer hull showcased an impressive collection of scrapes and blaster burn marks of every shape and size imaginable. The inside frequently let out a strange assortment of humming and whirring noises seemingly from everywhere at once without rhyme or reason. Pipes and wiring stuck out from exposed hallway walls. Yes, it was a warship, all right. The kind of warship the pristine propaganda pieces the Holonet wouldn't want you to see.

Padmé didn't find it unappealing. If anything, the lived-in feeling permeating through the spacecraft made it feel more... Accommodating? Their own room was outfitted with the necessities one might expect. A bed big enough for two, a computer built into the wall allowing them to speak to people across the entire Temple or pick up Holonet news. Two closets. A surprisingly spacious bathroom with a shower... And a baby crib in the corner?

It was the first thing she touched, inspecting it with a disbelieving look on her face.

"Yeah, that's more or less what I must've looked when I saw it too," Anakin stood to her right. "Apparently, some of General Kota's troops... Got close and busy during the war. So, they needed stuff like this to help out the parents."

"Sounds like a serious breach in protocol."

"Guess so, although," He smiled slyly at her. "Who're we to talk?"

They laughed for a bit, fingers inevitably interlocking even as silence fell. In silence, they observed the crib, both of them trying to hold onto the feeling of levity. Padmé sent a sideways look to her husband's direction, and though he put a brave face, the wear and tear was obvious. His skin was paler than usual, his lips tense and eyelids hanging. She very much doubted he got any sleep to Utapau or after it. How could he, between fighting General Grievous, barely escaping with Obi-Wan and spending hours helping whoever he could across the Temple. To say nothing of what must've been going through his mind after Palpatine's true intentions made themselves clear...

She wouldn't ask him about that, not yet. Instead, Padmé guided Anakin to their bed and he followed without protest. Now wasn't the time for words but for resting and companionship.

* * *

The empty hallways of this particular Temple section were a welcome sight for Obi-Wan's tired eyes. So much had happened, so much was still happening that it became almost shocking to find someplace within the old structure far removed from anything. From where he was, one couldn't hear the sounds of ships endlessly landing outside or the madness of hundreds of individuals trying to hastily establish some order in a galaxy teetering closer to chaos than he'd ever known it to before.

Since before he, Anakin, and Master Kota even landed on the world only tentatively known as Gormo, they were on the move without rest. First, picking up any and all Jedi they could find, sending messages, and holo communications throughout Jedi exclusive channels to any survivors they could. Master Yoda was among the first they'd rescued but certainly not the last. Arriving at their new home brought no rest or respite. Countless Jedi arriving with the core Temple group alone were wounded, some on the brink of death and many were added to their ranks as survivors from across the front lines began to arrive. It was a good thing this was not the only planet the Jedi had relocated to, otherwise, the surge of new arrivals would've most assuredly overwhelmed them.

And so, from the evening all the way to the current early morning of this world's cycle, Obi-Wan kept himself busy by helping in any way he could. Taking wounded Jedi to their makeshift medical center, organizing equipment placement until the duty of overseeing the children passed on to him and several other Masters and Knights. This was the most taxing task of all. To look upon the faces of so many younglings, afraid and cast out from their home, declared criminals throughout the galaxy for simply being themselves. It only became worse when padawan learners who escaped without the masters arrived. The wounded were seen to but the ones still able-bodied could do nothing but join their peers in sullen silence. The look of a student who'd lost his teacher was something Obi-Wan understood all too well.

He held his brave face for as long as possible. Becoming the rock for the next generations to the best of his ability. But even with the endless gifts of the Force, Obi-Wan was only human, and when a tired but determined Halagad Ventor came to relieve him of duty, Obi-Wan tried not to look too relieved. Obi-Wan needed to isolate himself, needed time to consider everything, no matter how much it hurt and it very much did.

The Jedi Order was very nearly eradicated. A group of exemplary men and women from across the entire galaxy, warriors, and negotiations, scholars, and scientists all nearly snuffed out. And so many already were. For every Master Yoda or Shaak Ti or Halagad, there was a Quinlan Vos, a Kit Fisto, or a Mace Windu. Someone lost so far behind enemy lines there was nothing they could do for them... Or dead already. So many of his friends he'd never see again. So many remarkable individuals he would never get a chance to meet. Butchered by the very troops they'd come to trust.

He had very nearly lost Anakin as well. Selfish as it sounded, and he was all too aware it did, that hurt more than anything else. His apprentice, his brother, had done more than his fair share of dangerous gambits that threatened to send Obi-Wan to an early grave. But this time felt different. Watching him, the finest pilot in the order, spiral out of control just as the clones started coming for them...

With a sigh, Obi-Wan stopped and tried to calm himself.

It was during this tiring mental recount of the past few hours that Obi-Wan realized he'd become a bit too lost in thought. Without even knowing where it was, he'd reached the meager fountain room of the Temple. Meager only being a relative word to describe it. For while this place was nothing next to the scale of Coruscant's, the Force was strong here regardless. No, stronger, and purer. For this world, secured deep within the unknown pathways of the galaxy, was raw and untamed. The floor itself was entirely made of healthy, green grass from which grew hundreds of plants of dazzling colors. Were it not for the untouched fountain still gushing clear water out, one would think nature had reclaimed this place entirely.

Obi-Wan entered it after removing his boots and gingerly walked upon the surface, making sure not to disturb too much of what grew there. Not because of any danger, the Force assured him there was none. It just seemed a waste to ruin something so exemplifying of life itself. The grass was soft and almost ticklish, the air was clear and invigorating. Without a moment's hesitation, he gently sat before the fountain and let himself reach out to this place through the Force.

The effect was immediate and liberating. Obi-Wan exhaled loudly and sat there for a while, simply letting himself breathe for the first in what felt like years. It was not too dissimilar to placing oneself under the cool, invigorating current of a waterfall. He could almost feel the currents of the Force wipe away the grime and dirt from his person, relaxing his tired aging muscles and easing the many burdens still left for him to carry. Sitting there, Obi-Wan simply immersed himself in this state, mind completely devoid of any thought.

Eventually, he did think again about the current situation. The home taken away from them, the betrayals orchestrated by the Sith and all the friends lost already or nearly so. He didn't linger on them. As it must have done before when it guiding him there, the Force presented a solution through its welcoming currents and gently nudged him to make use of it. It was the same one he'd performed when Qui-Gon's death overwhelmed him one day, back when Anakin was still in the early weeks of his training.

With that, Obi-Wan Kenobi took a single deep breath. In it, he focused all of his pains and regrets, the longing for things and people he would likely never see again and with a single exhale, let these things flow out him into the waterfall. After completing this final farewell to Mace, Kit, Quinlan, and the others who he knew and would sadly never meet, Obi-Wan returned to a state without thought again. He would spend many hours in this state, though he wouldn't become aware of this fact until his communication device beeped from his belt.

Opening his now rested eyes, Obi-Wan saw it was the afternoon judging by the orange tint to the sun's rays peeking through the wall cracks. So much time passed, he wondered the fact no one had called him so long a sign of things improving. And being called then wasn't a sign of them worsening.

"This is Obi-Wan," He detached the device from his belt and from its tiny, circular projector, sprang to life a hand-sized image of his former student. "Anakin? Has something happened?"

"Palpatine's holding an emergency session of the Senate," Though looking well-rested too, there was an understandable grim edge to his voice. "We're calling all of the Masters to hear it."

"I'll be there shortly."

Within a few minutes, Obi-Wan had put his boots back on and exited the Temple swiftly enough. One of the advantages to having so many cracks and holes everywhere leading to the outside was no shortage of shortcuts. The mess of activity seemed to calm itself in the intervening hours of his absence. Ships no longer came in, the number of people walking or running about had decreased significantly and a quick check of the larger surroundings through the Force indicated a noticeable drop in fear and anxiety amongst those gathered.

All except the group within the Dreadnaught. He sensed several high ranking Jedi there, Anakin, Master Yoda, Master Tholme, Master Ti, and even Padmé. No doubt her input as a Senator... Ex-Senator would be of great value for whatever lie Sidious intended to spout. And lie he did. Before Obi-Wan even entered the command room of Master Kota's vessel, Sidious' booming voice could be heard through the closed doors.

"These Jedi murderers wished to kill me! To remove me from power so as to grow their own! But their assassination attempt could not kill me nor could it kill my integrity! My resolve! These traitors will be hunted down, rooted out wherever they choose to hide and they will be brought to justice! All collaborators will suffer the same fate! Those who protect the enemy are the enemy! Now is the time! Now we will strike back! Now we will destroy the destroyers! **Death to the enemies of democracy!**"

No one paid Obi-Wan any mind as he slid inside and took a quick glance about the room. Master Yoda was made of stone for all the emotion he showed. Master Tholme and Master Kota looked grim, though the Dark Woman even moreso. Master Shaak Ti appeared more saddened by this worsening turn of events. Anakin did his best to calm himself, no doubt aided by the presence of Padmé and the children. But the way his mechanical fist clenched left little room for interpreting what he thought.

The deafening roar of the Senate body brought Obi-Wan's attention back to the session. Representatives of countless worlds cheered as though Palpatine was the champion of some blood sports arena. A conquering hero vanquishing their true enemies. The fact they believed this, even as the one responsible for their woes and plights these received their thanks and love, saddened Obi-Wan profoundly.

"But take heart, my friends!" Palpatine silenced the Senate instantly. "For though we have suffered much in these trying times, and many enemies still remain for us to defeat, the Separatists no longer number themselves among them!"

A chorus of shouts and talk amongst the representatives nearly erupted but Palpatine silenced it with a single raised hand.

"Before the Separatist attack on Coruscant, I was approached by a man who shall join us soon though you know him well enough. A man who, despite playing an integral role in the Separatist movement, has ever been a man of conviction! A man of integrity, the only man of integrity in what would soon be revealed as little more than a cabal of monstrous, ruthless, alien scum! Count Dooku of Serenno!"

A collective gasp emerged from the Senate body as the figure of Dooku sprang to life right next to Palpatine. As ever, the Count seemed the definition of regal. Clad in the finest of attires, back held high in a way only an aristocrat could accomplish. Yet, there was something different there, a particular animal like fierceness in his eyes. Casting a glance around the room, a collective grim atmosphere took all of the assembled Jedi save for Obi-Wan. Even Master Yoda numbered among them.

"I was not the only one to suffer an assassination attempt by those who I thought were my allies! As Count Dooku can attest for himself, Grievous and his ilk had made a move against him as well. To take the Separatist movement for their own purposes and remove the one man who could have held enough sway to stop their increasing barbarism!"

"Such as the attack on Coruscant," Dooku's deep, immaculate voice joined Palpatine's. "Though we have been enemies these past few years, this... Senseless butchery of the heart of the Republic was something I would never stand for! Grievous and his allies amongst the other Separatist leaders knew this to be true and attempted to kill me! With nowhere else to turn, I came to the one man I thought was worthy of my trust, and my loyalty, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine!"

The murmuring amongst the Senators was allowed this time. Many seemed skeptical and yet many more were intrigued by this turn of events. Always it came down to Palpatine, if their Supreme Chancellor was willing to take a chance on this, then why should they not? Palpatine seemed to sense this, for the smile visible past his shadowed face was knowing and more than a little serpentine.

"I understand your doubts, my friends! But were it not for the efforts of Count Dooku last night, it is without question I would not be alive here to reveal Jedi treachery!"

At that moment, came the worst thing so far. An audio and visual recording of the so-called assassination attempt and even for this, Obi-Wan could not steel himself. For it showed a battle between Mace... And Dooku. Palpatine sat behind them, screaming in fear, of treachery and murder. Dooku, the savior coming to his aid and Mace, the cold Jedi butcher. The footage became scrambled as the duel begin in earnest, no doubt Sidious' body superimposed on Dooku's, yet who would know the difference? Unless you were a Jedi, you couldn't possibly understand the intricacies of lightsaber dueling.

And so, like the enamored masses that they were, the assembled Senate took it all in without thought or consideration. Their hero-worship of Palpatine so all-consuming the vast majority of them clapped when Dooku struck Mace down.

"The Jedi discovered my negotiations with Count Dooku! They wished to turn a complete and unconditional Separatist surrender into evidence of my own collaboration with enemies of the Republic!" Palpatine's angered bark seemed to almost visible strike the Senators. "So low have they fallen, they would have subjected your worlds to continued destruction, all for the sake of preserving their own power!"

"And such destruction will not continue!" Dooku joined his Master, capturing the attention of the entire assembly. "Before the Chancellor even began his address to you, I had already inputted the command codes that have rendered the entire droid army useless! The war is already over!"

"Just so! Though the Jedi Rebellion will continue, the great bloody conflict which has spanned our fair galaxy is over! The Separatist movement has been utterly defeated and our Republic still stands! United and free!"

The Senate exploded in even grander fashion than before. It was defeaning just listening to a holonet projection, to be there amongst them, even if someone had doubts of this entire charade, the force of the current situation alone would've forced them into silence... Or compliance.

"Here it comes," Padmé said numbly, a look of horrible understanding across her face. Before anyone could ask, Palpatine spoke again.

"Never again will we be divided! Never again will sector turn against sector, planet against planet, sibling against sibling! We are one nation, indivisible! "To ensure that we will always stand together, that we will always speak with a single voice and act with a single hand, the Republic must change. We must _evolve_. We must _grow_. We have become an empire in fact; let us become an Empire in name as well! We _are_ the first _Galactic Empire_!"

The Senate fell further into madness.

"We are an Empire," Palpatine went on, "that will continue to be ruled by this august body! We are an Empire that will never return to the political maneuvering and corruption that has wounded us so deeply; we are an Empire that will be directed by a single sovereign, chosen for life! We are an Empire ruled by the _majority_! An Empire ruled by a new Constitution! An Empire of _laws_, not of politicians! An Empire devoted to the preservation of a just society. Of a _safe_ and _secure_ society! We are an Empire that will **stand ten thousand years!**"

The Senate degenerated into frothing animals. As for those watching on the Dreadnaught? It was as silent as the grave.


	23. Chapter 23

"We can't let them get away with this," As Obi-Wan expected, it was Anakin who eventually broke the silence hovering over them even as the shameless hero worship of Palpatine continued. Thankfully, Master Shaak Ti turned it off. None of them could bear to watch more. His former student looked about the room, waiting to see who would agree or disagree with him. Obi-Wan revealed nothing, opting to simply stand aside for the moment. He was always one to listen to others first, to gain insights beyond his own on an issue where group decision making was paramount.

"Skywalker is correct," Master Kota spoke next, arms-crossed and expression one of grim determination. "We must strike against the Sith now, while there's still time. They know their plan to wipe most of us out in one masterstroke was less than successful. In a month, no, even as little as a week, they could reinforce their positions beyond our ability to circumvent."

"Either that or they crawl into some deep, dark places from which they can simply exert their power from afar," The Dark Woman backed him up, face and body language impossible to ascertain thanks to her heavy cloak and robes. "Places we won't be able to find them in. Not like they've lacked time to pick them out."

"Destroying the Sith, of tantamount importance it is," Master Yoda emphasized the point, as he was so fond of doing, with a strong jab of his cane across the durasteel floor. "So long as even a single Jedi remains, resist the Dark Side we must."

"We do have the Separatist leadership," The secretive Master Tholme reminded them. "From them, we are no doubt to gleam a great many things concerning the enemy. Enough perhaps, to give us a window of opportunity, should we decide to strike."

Anakin seemed calmed by this joint call to action, Obi-Wan could understand why. Yet he still said nothing, stroking his beard and almost meditatively pressing his back against the nearest wall, letting himself feel for the currents of the Force. As he did so, all of his attention was focused on a particular individual, the only one not a Jedi but of a different, crucial pedigree altogether.

"Defeating the Sith is important, yes," Padmé Amidala spoke up with a nearly suppressed suffering sigh. But from the look on Anakin's face, her follow-up to the statement wouldn't be what he'd expect to hear. "But I ask you, Masters of the Jedi Order, what do you think will happen to the government with Palpatine and Dooku dead?"

"Chaos," Master Shaak Ti said the word without thinking it, momentarily getting the attention of the rest of the room. "Chaos and anarchy, perhaps at a scale greater than the Clone Wars."

"Exactly," Padmé nodded. "Throughout this past decade alone, nevermind all that they've done through the past millennia, the Sith have completely and utterly consolidated every single shred of power throughout the galaxy. The government and Sith aren't separate, the Sith are the government, particularly Palpatine. Despite what he's done to you, to the rest of the galaxy he is a hero beyond heroes. Even bigger than you or Obi-Wan, Anakin. What he's done tonight will only make this sentiment stronger. If they're both killed, the blow to the galaxy will be devastating. Any semblance of a greater, galactic community will fall, it will be sector versus sector, planet against planet just the way Palpatine said."

"But if we don't move against them, it'll be tyranny," Anakin said. "They'll tighten their grip on the galaxy, there's no telling what kind of monstrous things they'll do to keep it."

"Particularly now, make no mistake my friends," Master Tholme spoke next. "Sentiment against those of the Separatist movement is grave and powerful, there will be many calls for blood before anyone is satiated. Precisely the kind of remorseless butchery the Siths power will increase from."

"Is that it then?" Master Kota asked, incredulous. "Chaos or tyranny, are these the only avenues available to us?"

"... Maybe not. We might have a third option available to us," Padmé cast a nervous glance around the room. "But you're not going to like it."

"Dooku," Obi-Wan spoke up for the first time since arriving there, the name coming out of his mouth automatically. "It concerns Dooku, doesn't it? You wish to replace Sidious with him."

A collective shock reverberated throughout the room, though some did a far better job of concealing it than others. Masters Yoda, Tholme and the Dark Woman took the proclamation in more or less stride. Masters Kota, Shaak Ti, and particularly Anakin looked as though someone had just stolen their lightsabers away. Padmé did not share the sentiment. If anything, Obi-Wan found the Force around her incredibly attuned. No doubt the pregnancy heightened her connection to the multifaceted streams of energy binding their humble universe together. In fact, his own perceptions seemed most in-tuned with hers out of the entire group.

"It's an opportunity given to us by Palpatine," Padmé began explaining, pointedly avoiding the scandalous look from her husband. "Why else parade him during the Senate hearing this way? Why else place him at his right side? Why else concoct this story of Dooku being some poor victim of treachery who happened to save Palpatine from his? It's a transparent move of positioning Dooku as an equal, or at the very least, someone the Senate and galaxy at large have to take notice of?"

"It's been going on longer than you think," Master Tholme said. "Since the beginning of the war, attempts at vilifying nearly every person within the Separatist leadership has been an on-going, escalating, and clear smear campaign. The one to emerge the most unscathed from it was always Dooku. If Grievous was a butcher, Dooku was a mistaken but admirable man. If Nute Gunray or Poggle the Lesser were greedy or cowardly, Dooku was an exemplar."

"But how does trading one Sith Emperor for another change anything?" Shaak Ti inquired.

"I believe she means to turn him into our ally," Obi-Wan explained with a knowing smile. "Placing a redeemed Dooku on the throne of Emperor."

"You can't be serious," Anakin said, nostrils flared and self-control breathing more than pushed to its utter limits. He looked at Obi-Wan, then his wife and back again. "After everything he's done, all the Jedi he's... Twisted and murdered and you want to give him another chance?"

"In a perfect galaxy, Dooku would be getting justice for his numerous crimes, yes," Obi-Wan replied calmly. "But we are not in such a place. We know full well from the history of past Sith rulerships what Sidious' will look like nor is there a lack of historical proof to show how bloody brother versus brother on a single planet can be. Nevermind the wider spanning galaxy. A Dooku removed from the Dark Side but in a place of power could solve both issues. Holding some semblance of order without egotism and revenge-fueled slaughter to support it."

"A redeemed Dooku would also be a potent ally for us," Master Tholme said with a bit more energy to his voice. "He is privy to many secrets of the Sith. Were he to focus his efforts on dismantling the lies and machinations brought forth from within while we work outside, there could be a return to proper democracy. A return without the need for a civil war that would be a certainty against a Sidious led Empire."

"Who can even succeed in such a task?" Master Kota inquired. "You, Master Yoda?"

"... No, I do not think so," The Grandmaster said, head bowed in heavy concentration since the plan was proposed. The tiny green Jedi who'd been a kindly grandfather figure to them all looked even more aged than before and an invisible, hulking burden weighed him down in his seat. "Once before, I attempted to return my old padawan to the Jedi, yet the intervention of young Obi-Wan and Anakin prevented its success it did. And Dooku... Accepts betrayal from no one. Not since Lorian Nod."

"Lorian Nod?" Master Shaak Ti asked.

"A friend of Dooku's he was, a very good friend. Closer than brothers they were but Dooku advanced further, a prodigy he was and Lorian became envious. Stole a Holocron containing many dark secrets, Lorian did, worse, when Dooku attempted to right his wrong, Lorian betrayed him. Claimed Dooku was the thief and the two came to blows. Lorian was cast out from the order and Dooku... Never trusted anyone again, not even I."

"I don't quite believe that is the case, Master," Obi-Wan said, as ever, letting the stronger presence of the Force guide him. "Despite what you've told me of their past misgivings with one another, Dooku and Qui-Gon respected each other deeply. I even sensed true remorse, even sadness, in the Count's voice when we met on Geonosis and he spoke of wanting Qui-Gon's help."

"Hm, some truth you speak. Indeed, Dooku and Master Qui-Gon, like fire and ice they were. Many times, we of the Council wondered if it was wise to pair them, yet a wise decision it was indeed. The happiest days I remember of my old padawan were of Qui-Gon's apprenticeship."

"A nice sentiment, Master Yoda," The Dark Woman coldly said. "But what does it gain us? Are we to use Dooku's lingering sentimentality to turn him over to our side?"

"That is precisely what I will try," Obi-Wan answered her. "Though it will be dangerous, I believe there is an opportunity to appeal to what is left of Dooku's better nature. I am the only thing he has left of Qui-Gon. The only relationship with a friend he has not blemished as directly as he has done for the rest of us. Why I am practically the closest he will come to having a grandson."

"Didn't stop him from trying to kill you, on Geonosis or over Coruscant, and what do you mean you'll do it?" Anakin asked, frustration now apparent in his voice.

"Exactly what I said," Obi-Wan remained perfectly at ease. "Call me foolish or idealistic if any of you wish, by all means, I can not blame you for thinking so. However... The Force is telling me something, it has been since I've had the time to re-center myself from these dark days befalling us. I am trusting it and my own instincts, and they both say this is the path to take. I am already committed to it."

"It is easy to think of Dooku as nothing but a villain," Master Tholme spoke again, this time addressing the mouth agape Anakin across the room. "Believe me young one, I and Quinlan have seen more than enough proof with our own eyes to burn away any idea Dooku ever held principles or possessed a shred of integrity. However, he did. For I was there when he and many others of the Lost Twenty quit the Jedi. I was present when the news came that an entire culture was very nearly wiped out by Dooku and his fellow Jedi. Galidraan was a painful disgrace and one of the chief reasons Dooku left the Jedi. A heartless man would walk away from that battle with nary a worry, Dooku most certainly did no such thing."

"He was always pompous and arrogant," The Dark Woman followed Master Tholme up. "However, his dedication to the Order was obvious back then. If he was the only man standing between a city of innocents and an army itching to carve them to pieces, he'd stay and fight to the end."

"If we go through with this," Master Ti crossed her arms, looking at Obi-Wan. "How do you intend to go about this?"

"Complete honesty. If Dooku always searches for treason, I will give him none. I will be a transparent figure, speak my mind or my heart, and hide nothing from him. Only then will I have a chance to turn him back from the Dark Side."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Then I will, of course, defend myself. If it is a lost cause, then I will strike him down and bear the burden of responsibility for whatever comes next from it."

"... Alright," Anakin said, voice heavy but considerably more relaxed. He'd spent the past few minutes breathing in and out, calming himself by a substantial margin. "When're we leaving?"

This time, Obi-Wan did pause. Because from all the of the insights the Force gave him, this was one he knew would be the hardest for again to bear.

"You're not coming with me."

"... What?"

"You're needed elsewhere, Anakin. There is another, far greater adversary we must deal with if this plan is to succeed."

"Right, Obi-Wan is," Master Yoda banged his cane once again. "Darth Sidious, the master of the Sith, must fall. No matter what, his reign must be short-lived. Yet alone, I cannot win against him."

Anakin looked between the two of them, the Jedi he trusted above all others and the meaning behind their words dawned on him with brutal clarity. Yet, he wasn't one to give up so easily. "Obi-Wan, he'll kill you if I'm not there."

"And destroy me, Sidious will, if you are not there, young one."

"Master," Anakin gulped, breathing heavy. Padmé placed an arm around his shoulders and gripped his mechanical one tightly. "You're the most powerful Jedi alive, I-"

"Strong I am, yes. But Sidious... A different breed he is, not the Sith of old who I trained my whole life to fight. Something different, darker. Something requiring the skills of one unlike myself, one most gifted in the Force. Alone, victory I cannot achieve."

And so Anakin stood, silent and with closed-eyes, drawing on every bit of strength he had. Obi-Wan sympathized with him entirely. He too wished for Anakin to come with him, but the time for him to meet his destiny was near. Anakin had to face the true face of the Sith with Master Yoda, and not with him. It was reasoning that mostly quelled Obi-Wan's own hidden doubts. His worries about them going off on the most dangerous missions of their entire Jedi careers apart and not together. Such was the hand dealt with them, however. And with each calming breath, Anakin took, his old student came to realize it as well. Even if neither he nor Obi-Wan liked it.

* * *

**Half an hour later...**

Anakin watched the setting sun from the landing platform. Arms crossed, body held straight and thoughts trying not to wander to the dark places. Easier said than done, even with Padmé by his side. Once their course was set, the rest of the meeting passed quickly. Master Yoda and he would return to Coruscant using an untraceable militia ship and confront Sidious. Obi-Wan, who'd gleamed Dooku's most probable location from a very willing Nute Gunray, would head to Mustafar. Apparently, it was a secret fortress built to house the Separatist leadership once the war was done. It also held a transmitter capable of turning off all of their troops with a few button presses.

No one else but the three of them would go. Masters and Knights offered it but they were shot down. The Jedi had already lost too many of their best and if this mission went awry, it would become an even more grievous wound for the Order. It was funny, so many times Anakin felt like the Jedi wasted too much time with deliberation. Now that they were acting in possibly the highest stakes gambit way he'd ever seen, all he wanted to do was sit down and talk.

He really, really didn't want to leave Obi-Wan alone with Dooku. Last time when they were together the Count very nearly smashed his head into a durasteel wall if Anakin hadn't caught him in time. Who was going to cover for him now? And yet the alternative was just as painful for similar and altogether different reasons. Leaving Master Yoda alone to deal with Sidious left a bitter taste in his mouth too. Master Windu was one of the finest swordsmen in the Order, in some ways even superior to the Grandmaster himself and fell regardless.

Either of them dying was unacceptable for him, but he couldn't be in two places at once... Nor could anyone else take his position. The three of them were the best fighters left in the Order, bar none. But the most frightening aspect of all was one thing he didn't even dare think about. That was what Padmé had the courage to do for him.

"You're afraid of facing him, aren't you?" She said gently, as though reading his mind.

"...Yes."

How could he not be? Even after everything he'd done, all the pain, death, and misery he'd orchestrated to elevate himself, Sidious was still Palpatine. The same man who was a kindly uncle to Anakin for years. Someone he trusted more than anyone else, even his teacher, and in some regards his wife. No matter how many times he told himself it was all a lie, a farce to stifle his growth or ensnare him to the Dark Side, Anakin struggled to face the fact he would have to kill this man.

"Just remember you're not alone," Padmé turned to face him, stroking his hair with one hand while the other guided his own to the twins. "No matter how bad things get, you'll always have us to help you."

Pressing his forehead to hears, Anakin closed off all perceptions of the Force save for the three of them. The invigorating, purifying energy of his family instantaneously banished all doubts and fears from his mind. The potency of this was remarkably strong last time it occurred and this time even more so. Through his wife's stomach, he could feel a pair of strong, healthy hands gently touch the same place he did and it was the most beautiful sensation he'd ever felt.

So remarkable was it that even when Anakin pulled away as the ship getting Yoda and him back to Coruscant landed and the couple were no longer alone, it didn't change at all.

"Once this is over, we'll stop having to say goodbye like this."

She smiled. "I can't wait."

"Ready to go, yes?" Master Yoda said, cane rhythmically thumping against a stone and a playful grin on his face as he walked toward them. Obi-Wan walked next to him.

"Yes, Master, ready as I'll ever be."

"Promise to reach the Team's high standards, I do."

Anakin couldn't help but laugh. "I've no doubt of that."

"I'll endeavor to do the same, even if I must work for two."

"Yeah..." His good mood cooled a bit as he looked at Obi-Wan. Briefly, he recalled all their times together. The good, the bad, the hilarious. It was as endearing as it was heartwrenching. Now that they were parting, he didn't even know what to say. "Master, I..."

"Have made me very proud," Obi-Wan said, smiling with that characteristic warmth of his, placing a friendly hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Always have, and always will. No matter what happens in these coming hours, I want you to know it was a privilege to have met you."

A lump formed in Anakin's throat. "You too, Obi-Wan. I wouldn't be even the tenth of the man I am today, without you. I'm just sorry I wasn't always grateful to you."

"What's past is past. All that matters is what we do here, today. I have faith you will rise to the occasion, as you always do."

He accepted the praise with a smile and nod. "... May the Force be with you, Master."

Obi-Wan smiled wider. "May the Force be with you as well, old friend."

* * *

**A/N: And with that the stage is set for the final storyline of the fic: Duels of Fate! To steal from TCW a little, who shall fall in the coming struggles, I wonder? **


	24. Chapter 24

"And in the event of my untimely passing, the leadership of the Emperor along with all powers associated with such position shall pass over to Count Dooku of Serenno."

"Is that everything, your highness?"

"Almost, Amedda. I shall be entertaining guests this evening, ensure that the Senate building is quite vacant. I wish no interruptions for what is to transpire."

"As always, your will is my command."

With a bow, Representative Amedda left the Emperor's suite, taking the pair of Red Guard with him and leaving Emperor Sidious alone. From the Ceremonial Office for Official Meetings, the ruler of Coruscant surveyed the capital world of his new galactic order and he was most pleased. All of it was his. Every building visible and beyond, every vehicle making its way through the neverending traffic cycles and every living creature on the surface down the lowest levels. Even the artificial weather enhancing the sunset glistening the world in vibrant oranges was his to do with as he saw fit.

Oh, it had been his for a very long time already but now it was in an even more official capacity. The Republic was dead, the Empire was born a mere two hours past. He declared its lifelong leader. The final meager shackles were removed at last and the grand design of the Sith was at long last realized. A thousand years of plotting, subversion of order and justice wherever it existed had led to this moment. As the greatest of the line, it was fitting that Darth Sidious should see the seeds of Bane's labors finally spring to life.

Though his elation was not quite so grand before the speech to the Senate. In truth, a rare dark mood was upon him for most of the day. The Jedi Order, who should've been annihilated or brought to its very edge was vilified, yes, but alive in greater numbers. Scurrying about in their secret worlds and ancient hyperspace paths and waiting for their moment to strike. Not unlike what the Sith had done to them, how ironic.

As the Senate bowed their heads and slobbered on the floor as the beaten, indoctrinated hounds that they were, Sidious' mood improved considerably. Standing in their midst, reaching out into their fear, their anger, and their madness, Sidious let all of their darkest inclinations laid bare for the galaxy to see invigorate him. It was almost as satisfying as feasting on the pain and death throughout the Jedi Temple.

Yet the primary reason he now sat in his former Chancellor office, hands resting upon the chair arms and back pressed against the comfortable cushion, came from the Force itself. Ever since Skywalker returned to Coruscant, his renewed presence in the Force had done something to the children growing within Senator Amidala. Theirs was a connection unlike any he had seen before and such was its strength, Sidious lost the ability to influence Skywalker's subconscious thoughts. However, this was but the start. For as he attempted to perceive the future, his clarity was diminished as well, particularly in regards to the burgeoning Skywalker family.

It was, for this reason, he could not fathom the full currents of the future, could not properly prevent Amidala's flight from Coruscant, or complete the long-gestating corruption of her husband. For a time, this displeased him as well. Losing Skywalker, one so ripe with potential within the Dark Side, so self-aggrandizing and simultaneously weak to slightest of human affection was the perfect apprentice. Kenobi, always Kenobi, brought true calm to the young man since the first time Sidious met him over a decade ago and rendered plans spanning the same time span all for naught. Then the children of Skywalker escaped, more apprentices lost to him.

Not all failures were absolute, and the flight of the Skywalker family was no exception. With their troublesome interference to the Dark Side far, far away, Sidious could once again perceive the tangles of possibility, and this time they led to a most pleasing vision of the near future. Within but a short span of hours, after night falls on Coruscant and the rest of the galaxy remains completely unaware, as the useless masses always are, two great battles will happen. One here, and one on the faraway world of Mustafar.

Kenobi will engage Tyrannus in the Outer Rim. The student of Qui-Gon Jinn facing Jinn's own fallen Master. Dooku was already made aware of this in a final conversation following the Senate hearing. One in which Sidious instructed him to let the Jedi come to him and deal with them as he saw fit, they needed to thin the herd. Though truthfully, the outcome is of little consequence no matter who prevailed. If Tyrannus succeeds, then he will have proven himself useful enough for Sidious to forgive his foolishness this morning. If not? Then the Jedi will serve the Sith's purposes well again. Allowing Sidious to spin a great tale of Jedi retribution and of Count Dooku's valiant last stand to prevent the treacherous order from taking command of deactivated Separatist armies.

The true battle will unfold inside the Senate building. Between Sidious, Yoda, and Skywalker. The only beings left in the galaxy who might prove troublesome enough for Sidious to begrudgingly call them threats. His supremacy over them was assured, for as he saw the battle in his mind's eye, a smile of utmost contentment spread across his face and did not leave it since.

Yoda lied on the ground, his robes were charred and body unmoving. Sidious, victorious, strong, and laughing approaching upon him with yet more Sith Lightning. And between them? Skywalker, battered, bruised, and clinging to what little power he has left. Uselessly defending himself and his precious Grand Master with but one remaining hand. His eyes first clouded by despair, then reignited by anger and finally, pure hatred. The gaze of the Dark Side. It was the final part of the vision but it was all the proof the Emperor needed to understand.

Skywalker's fall was not averted, merely postponed. Though the vision did not detail further events, Sidious saw little reason to gaze beyond, the future was certain. The boy would, when pressed against a wall, lash out with hatred. Sidious will defeat him regardless, his last spurt of anger was no threat to a man who personified the Dark Side. Once he was properly cowed into submission, he would reveal all of the Jedi's secrets, in so doing dooming the Order at long last. None would be spared save for Skywalker's own children. Not even Anakin himself.

The advantage of the young, the pure, and the easily impressionable was how easy it was to condition them into what you wanted. And the thought of two Skywalkers burning with a Maul-like zeal to live, serve and die at the slightest of Sidious' whims was something he very much looked forward to. And if one chose to rebel? Well, it was of no great consequence, the advantage of twins was you always had a spare.

* * *

**Some Hours Later, Mustafar...**

Dooku knew who it was before answering the call. His Master had foretold the Jedi's arrival and the Count was most looking forward to facing this particular adversary. Perhaps even more than fighting Yoda, a privilege Master Sidious would partake in himself shortly, no doubt. Standing tall, Dooku accepted the unknown transmission and could not help but smile as the image of Obi-Wan Kenobi from inside a starfighter came to life.

"Master Kenobi, it is a pleasure to see you once again."

"Master Dooku," Obi-Wan inclined his head with the mild tone he was so fond of. "I see you've been expecting me."

The Count infinitesimally raised an eyebrow at the title used for him but decided to not press the issue. "Quite so, Jedi are so predictable after all. In fact, I am surprised you waited this long to strike in the first place."

"My apologies, we were all so riveted by Sidious' performance this afternoon it was difficult to stop watching."

"Do you see now, Obi-Wan? How far the Republic has fallen? How the rabble of the Senate frothed at the mouth like beggars waiting for the tiniest scrap of food?"

"The Republic has fallen quite far yes. Brought so low as to allow one such as Sidious into a position of leadership, though our own blame cannot be understated as well. Sidious' success is a testament to our own efforts as well."

This time, Dooku couldn't help the faint flash of surprise from crossing his features. Obi-Wan Kenobi, the exemplar of the Order, criticizing it so? Promising.

"Forgive me if I am mistaken," Dooku spoke pleasantly. "But I have heard you dislike flying? Why don't you land, so that we may converse as proper gentlemen?"

"I would be most grateful, no need to send me coordinates, I already know where everything is."

Ending communication, Dooku de-activated the station's defense systems. Though it could most certainly deny Obi-Wan entry, he saw little need for it. Kenobi was a known performer of the impossible, almost as much as Skywalker, and would get in regardless. Besides, Dooku did not wish for him to perish, not in this way. Under the still high probability that they did cross swords, Dooku wished to... Indulge himself in such a contest. To see Obi-Wan's skills privately, with no Skywalker to interrupt them. If he was half as good as the Count perceived from their battle over Coruscant, then it was worth the time he'd spend.

And if Kenobi was more amiable to Dooku's views this time around, well, why waste a potentially worthy ally?

The Jedi Master landed forthwith in a standard Actis starfighter on the landing pad outside. Initial scans showed it lacked an astromech, no doubt its navigational computer automatically erased its own data banks. Dooku would learn nothing of Obi-Wan's departure point from there. Not an issue, there were always other means of persuasion. Standing in the center of the command section of the station, Dooku smiled pleasantly and observed Obi-Wan enter with the doors wooshing behind him. Even a minute outside in the heat had left him sweating.

With the same mild interest, he observed the room first, taking in all of its details from the numerous tactical displays, control consoles, entrances, exits before settling on Dooku. Standing face to face, he continued to show nothing but mild interest, inwardly or outwardly at being face to face with a Sith Lord. A victorious one at that.

"May I interest you in a beverage?" Dooku asked, stepping aside and inclining his hand to the direction of a suite situated adjacent to the command center. "You look like you could use it."

"That's quite alright," Kenobi waved the offer aside, casting away his larger robes onto the floor. He made no reach for his lightsaber. "There, all better already."

"Then let us dispense with the pleasantries and get to the heart of the matter."

"Yes, lets," He said, still making no move toward his weapon. For the time being, neither did Dooku. "Master Dooku, I am here with an offer for you."

"An offer?" Tyrannus ignored the Master title again, instead of focusing on perceiving what Obi-Wan's intentions were. As ever, his presence in the Force was strong and pure. The same translucent being above Coruscant stood before him again. Nothing had changed? Not even the destruction wreaked upon the Jedi? Impressive in its misguided devotion but secretly, Dooku hoped it was but a facade. After all, he had wished to recruit Obi-Wan on numerous occasions, even before their duel on Coruscant. Having Qui-Gon's old student at his side would make a great many things easier.

"Indeed, per the guidance of the Force, I ask you, Master Dooku, to return to the Jedi and aid us in our time of need."

The Count stared for a time before chuckling and ultimately laughing, loudly and quite an undignified fashion. Indeed, it had been years since a claim so outrageous had amused him so. Not since Ventress' foolish proclamation of being a Sith instead of a mere, embittered tool for him to use. If Obi-Wan had truly learned anything from recent events, he would have used Dooku's apparent guard lowering to strike him down and achieve victory. Instead, he merely stood there, arms hanging at his sides, and waited until the laughter died out.

"Ah, Obi-Wan," Dooku let out a final chuckle. "I had hoped you'd become wiser, that you had learned something."

"My learning of something is what guided me here, to you with this offer."

"The offer from the Force?"

"Quite so," Obi-Wan inclined his head. "As Qui-Gon so often told me and the rest of the Council, it is the needs of the Force we Jedi should concern ourselves with. For we are, like all creatures, bound to it, and being so gifted with a greater connection must listen to its advice and always work in service to it. If we had done so, we might've been able to avert far more than the Clone Wars. Galidraan, Naboo,... All of these events may never have come to pass. Even Master Yoda has come to understand this."

"What?" Dooku asked despite himself, curiosity piqued again. "Yoda, admitting failure? Admitting the error of his ways?"

"I saw it myself, and while it was strange to witness, he was not altogether wrong. His realization of our faults is what allowed so many of us to survive, after all."

"That would have been something to see," Dooku said, imagining the sight of despairing Yoda with some measure of enjoyment. "Unfortunately, it is still but a half measure. Had you or Yoda or the rest seen true reason, you would've embraced the power of the Dark Side already. You should have accepted your birth-given status as beings above others and moved to remove your enemy by any means necessary. If you had, you would've thrived, not merely survived."

"What a strange thing to say, advocating for the defeat of your own side," Obi-Wan's faint amusement sparked an ire to rise from Dooku. "At a glance, one might agree with your assessment. Yet I find it equally fitting and peculiar to hear from you."

"What are you blathering on about?"

"You yourself stand as a testament to the very idea you suggested to us. A Jedi Master whose response to the legitimate failures of his government and Order has embraced the idea of power at all costs to try and fix it. You have certainly lived up to it and I cannot fathom how you can support them after everything that's happened."

Tyrannus scowled but said nothing.

"Look at what you have wrought upon the galaxy by embracing the Sith ideals. War, destruction, millions dead, worlds razed to the ground-"

"Order and security ensured, the corruption snuffed out-"

"And the Jedi order butchered in droves," Obi-Wan cut in with some force in his voice. Then he sighed. "All of this has occurred in part from a single Jedi choosing to fall to the Dark Side, how can you possibly say the rest of us should've done the same? Can you not see what madness would come from it?"

"Enough," Tyrannus barked, cape pushed aside and arm moving to his lightsaber. "I had hoped you'd learned, at last, the folly of the Jedi. Yet you've merely become conceited in another way. I tire of this meaningless banter, defend yourself, Master Kenobi."

"So I will," He removed his weapon from its belt. "But my mission remains clear, Master. I intend to save you because I can see you are not entirely lost. Not yet."

"Those who see things for what they truly are, are never lost, boy," The red blade came to life while a quick telekinetic suggestion prompted the doors and windows to shut down. There would be no daring escape from Mustafar. What happened next was to the death. "Now, let us see if Skywalker was the reason you survived our last duel."

"That goes without saying," He answered with a calm smile and ignition of his saber. "However, I will endeavor not to disappoint you this time, Master Dooku."

* * *

**Meanwhile, Gormo...**

Padmé stared past the wall of their room, past the Dreadnaughts hull and past the very stars separating her husband from their family. Since saying goodbye to him, hopefully for the last time in this war, she decided to get some rest but couldn't. Her mind was awhirl with too many questions. Were her fellow members of the Loyalist Committee all right? Were they already arrested? Did Bail do the smart thing and vote for Palpatine to buy himself some time or did he vote against and in so doing, placed a target on himself from a Sith Lord.

She worried for Obi-Wan, far away and alone on a mission just as dangerous as Anakin's. To redeem a Sith Lord, the Jedi Masters she asked on the subject told conflicting stories. Stories of Jedi who'd fallen and came back, like one Darth Revan or Ulic Qel-Droma. But there were others as well, Exar Kun, Darth Malak who refused even to the bitter end. Padmé hoped he succeeded, not just for all their sakes but for Anakin's as well. He would be inconsolable if something happened to Obi-Wan.

Yet what Anakin thought or felt became impossible for her to discern. Not thanks to the distance between them but thanks to the Dark Side and the twins. He and Master Yoda vanished somewhere she assumed was Coruscant. Disappearing behind a thick, black fog of chill which nearly suffocated them all. This time was different from the last, the connection between them was substantially weakened, in spite of what they all must've wanted. Parents and children alike.

Did that mean Anakin was already in danger? Or did the Dark Side discover some means of blocking the tie binding them together? Was it because of the twins? Since Anakin left, they started feeling strange, different. In a way she could not put into words. They'd become more detached for some reason, were they afraid too? No, she doubted that was it. The two of them, not even born were so very brave already, fighting off the Dark Side years before they'd even know what it is. Hopefully, they'd never have to.

With a smile, Padmé rubbed her belly once again but stopped when she felt something wet just underneath the spot she was sitting. It was a puddle, getting bigger with each passing moment... Coming directly from her.


	25. Chapter 25

When Anakin was a freshly made Padawan, just a few months after Naboo, he and Obi-Wan had gone on one of their first missions. For one reason or another, it brought them to a particular system with no name but didn't need one to profoundly stay with Anakin for the rest of his life. It was a dead system. It was so impossibly old its very star burned itself out and became a frigid dwarf so cold it hovered a minuscule fraction of a degree above absolute zero.

The star died. Stars could die, the same as people or animals. It didn't matter what you were, where you came from, or how powerful you were, time would eventually wear you down and you'd die. One of the most terrifying things Anakin ever learned. Obi-Wan didn't make it any better, quite honestly telling it for what it was, mixing it again with some Jedi philosophy Anakin would grow to quickly tire of until quite recently. It may have been one of the first times Anakin resented his Master too.

The image of the cold, dead star stuck with him ever since this mission, though he never told this to anyone. Not even Palpatine. This realization of the fragility of everything in the universe sowed fear into Anakin's heart. Fear that only intensified as the years went by. Every time he went into battle, or if there was a chance someone he cared about could die, the fear would creep up on him and make fun of him, always saying that everything eventually dies.

Part of Anakin's recklessness was in response to this, to shout back at the voice and prove it wrong by saving as many as he could but it never disappeared. With the war, this fear became a more constant companion and stoked by his own stupidity, ego, and more than a little manipulation from Palpatine. It might've consumed him had Obi-Wan not opened up and by extension, made Anakin do the same. Since that conversation, the fear of cold death ebbed away and seemed to vanish entirely.

As he stared out through the main viewport of the ship taking them to Coruscant, sitting in one of the back seats along with Master Yoda, Anakin was intimately reminded of watching the dead star all over again. The capital of the Republic, no, of the Empire, was like an iceberg in the middle of an ocean. The closer their ship got to it, the worse the chill became. The sensation of frosty prickling so intense it actually burned at Anakin's Force enhanced perceptions every time he tried to reach closer to the surface. The smog from before was nothing next to what was present then.

Oh, there were lights on Coruscant, countless signs showing that life was very much present on the surface. Life more or less unchanged despite the hectic events of the past few weeks. It didn't make what he felt through the Force any better, quite the opposite actually. The paradoxical life outside and the death colder than the void of space only made it more unnerving.

It was only thanks to two things that Anakin was able to keep himself more or less steady, despite his growing discomfort. The connection between him and his family back on Gormo, a beacon against the Dark Side, and the presence of Master Yoda next to him. Even if the Grand Master himself was troubled by what he sensed too.

His wrinkly face was drawn into a look of intense concentration and just a hint of sadness. Anakin wished he could say he didn't know what his Grand Master felt but that would be a lie. The two of them connected profoundly through the Force during the issue of Order 66, and what Master Yoda felt then must've been just as severe as returning to his home for the past millennia turned against him and the rest of the Jedi.

He must've sensed Anakin observing him through the Force, turning in his direction and offering a calming smile. "Worry not, young one. In great danger, we walk to, but alone we are not. We have each other, and our ally is the greatest we could ask for."

"I know Master, I'm just... Anxious."

"Understandable, Palpatine was a friend to you, a mentor. Fighting one perceived as such, an easy task, it never is."

"Even when they were never really your friend...?"

"Even then. Real it was for you and adds to the already great burden you bear."

"I won't let it get in the way, Master," Anakin promised him with as much certainty as he could. "Palpa- Sidious won't use the past against me. I won't let him."

"Know this already, I do," Master Yoda smiled wider. "Much faith in you I have, always."

Some time ago, he wouldn't have believed that but some time ago, Anakin was a complete fool. With his chest feeling lighter than it had moments ago, he took a calming breath and looked back to Coruscant. Their pilot, a member of Kota's militia and one of the General's best fliers said they'd reach the surface within moments. Thanks to the numerous hidden hyperspace pathways, they were able to circumnavigate past and around security checkpoints and other assorted defenses that would've left them vulnerable to discovery and then attack.

The plan was simple, use some places around Coruscant that were known only to the Jedi to park their ship, then they'd infiltrate the Senate dome. Apparently, it had its fair share of secret pathways as well. Means of circumnavigating past enemy defenses before striking at their head. Once this was done, the same people transporting them to Coruscant would fly in with an escape craft and get them out of there before the inevitable chaos of Sidious' assassination spread like wildfire.

During the final approach into Coruscant's upper atmosphere, the chill of the Dark Side swept over Anakin so quickly he instinctively shivered. Master Yoda took it far more stoically but even his tiny grey hands clenched hard enough for his cane to creak. This wasn't the worst sensation, it was the fact Padmé and the children felt... Cut off? No, the connection between them was dimmed. No doubt Sidious didn't want it to interfere again. A momentary panic swept over him before Anakin remembered to lean on Master Yoda, the two drawing strength from one another against the dark power now all around them.

They continued to do this even as the ship landed and they flew through the night sky of Coruscant toward the Dome and the epicenter of the Dark Side. Paradoxically, the spot where Sidious was most assuredly at pulsated with a different feeling altogether. A type of cold so intense and simmering it almost seemed to burn inside the maelstrom of the Dark Side. This paradoxical feeling intensified during their long trek through pipe ways, empty corridors, and rooms.

He was exactly where they expected him to be: the Chamber Holding Office, a private sanctum built precisely for the Chancellor, and his closest aides underneath the Grand Convocation Chamber. The place where Anakin was sure Sidious got a good laugh at the expense of him, the Jedi, the ruling body, and everyone else during his long sorted scheme.

Sharing glances, Master Yoda cast his cane aside while Anakin removed his larger robes. Both of them took their lightsabers out but did not ignite them just yet, walking into the CHO with great care, feeling out their surroundings for signs of traps. Sidious sat at a desk at the far side, arms rested against a chair, Sith cloak covering most of his body, even his eyes. But not the lower part of his face which was twisted into an approximation of a friendly smile.

"Master Yoda! Anakin!" Sidious shouted with anticipation, showing them his palms. "Welcome, welcome! This is a most delightful surprise! Let me be the first to wish you Happy Empire Day!"

"Not so happy will you be for long."

"Your reign ends tonight."

Sidious chuckled, planting his hands back on the arms of the chair. "Oh, I think not my Jedi friends. The time in which you may have stopped me has already past. Your precious Republic is already but a sour memory."

"Perhaps," Master Yoda admitted. "Your victory, our failure is, and a great one. However, while a single Jedi remains, never will it be absolute."

"I am quite aware of this," Sidious' voice dropped imperceptibly. Then his eyes, still shadowed by the cloak must've looked at Anakin then, the shiver that ran down his spine couldn't come for anything else. "And I shall correct it in due time, starting with the two of you."

"You won't kill another Jedi," Anakin said in a mostly steady voice, keeping it together to the best of his abilities. "That I can promise you."

"Such talk and from you of all people," The Sith Lord shook his head and almost gave Anakin another, this time pitying look from under the cloak. "I had such high hopes for you, my boy. To see you stifled under the Jedi, why, I can't imagine a greater waste of one's potential."

"I'm not your boy and the days of my listening to your lies are over. Now, get up and fight, even you don't deserve to die without the chance to defend yourself."

"Really? Then perhaps I shall simply remain sitting here."

Anakin stopped and blinked a few times before Sidious burst out laughing, a deranged cackle intensified by the complete absence of any other sounds in the vacant Senate Dome.

"Ah, you should have seen the look on your face, Anakin. But fear not, I will not trouble your feeble Jedi minds by choosing inaction. After all..." The Sith Lord smiled wider, showing rows of teeth while from under the shadow of his cloak, blazed two yellow eyes. Laboriously, he drew himself to full height and produced two lightsabers from inside both sleeves. "You cannot imagine how long I've waited for this."

With distorted snap hisses, his red lightsabers ignited. They produced the same effect Sidious' lamps did back in the Chancellor's office, burning so brightly one's eyes strained from looking at them. They even seemed to intensify the shadows around the Sith Lord. Anakin and Master Yoda answered in kind, their own blades standing in the ready positions of Djem So and Ataru.

In mere moments, the air around the office became impossibly thin it was hard to breathe. A pressure appeared which was closer to a gravitational generator going haywire inside a star destroyer over any natural phenomenon. Anakin could almost swear the room and ground shivered ever so slightly, making it appear as though everything but the three of them was vibrating in place.

None of them said anything for what felt like an eternity. Sidious elated and eager to fight. Master Yoda, resolved, and stoic. Anakin, unnerved but determined to see it all to the end. Once they moved, it was like three blurs of red, green, and blue, and with their clash, came the first of many titanic quakes in the Force to come.

* * *

Tyrannus was enjoying himself for a great many reasons. The first was the empowerment of the Dark Side, fueled and nurtured by thousands of years of perpetual mutilation of Mustafar. All of the decades of wear and tear brought by his Jedi and then Sith training were rendered non-existent. He was a young man again, strong, fierce but never reckless. He was a man in control of the universe around him, not subservient to it.

This contributed to the second reason he took pleasure with his current situation, the battle itself. Never in all his years of life did Tyrannus perform as he did there, within the hidden almost safe haven of the Separatist leadership. Each strike was quick, absolute in its dedication to defeat his adversary. Each sidestep was graceful. Each feint calculated and expertly woven into the past two categories. The dance of Makashi was well underway. Yet Tyrannus could not take credit for it, a fighting style only came to its zenith when used against a worthy adversary.

Such as Kenobi was at that moment.

The Jedi Master Yoda thought he could be was no longer a thought, he was fully realized then and there. No matter what the Sith Lord sent his way, thrust, slash, feint, Kenobi met it with expertise the rest of the Order could only dream of. His Soresu was absolute, unwavering but more importantly and most commendably, elegant. Nothing went to waste, if Obi-Wan could successfully stave off death for another fraction of a moment, he did so to spectacular effect. There was an ever-present grace and yet simplicity to every action he partook, Tyrannus on several occasions did not even bother to attempt a death blow. He only wished to see what Kenobi would do there and then, by himself, and without Skywalker.

Why, if one could observe their battle from the sidelines, one might assume they'd practiced with one another countless times.

"Marvelous, simply marvelous."

"I'm glad I'm not disappointing you."

"Disappointing? Nonsense," Dooku smiled as the two circled one another. "I've not enjoyed a duel like this in... A very long time. So many in the Order have forgotten the worth of precision, of finesse and forsook both for mad scrambles of acrobatic absurdity!"

"Guilty as charged," Kenobi actually chuckled. "And credit to where it is due, I have you to thank for my present skills."

Dooku's walk slowed down imperceptibly. "Indeed?"

"Indeed. After our duel at Geonosis, I came to realize how inadequate my dueling skills were. If I was to survive against whatever the Clone Wars would throw at me, I would have to do much better. In fact, much of the way I use Soresu came from my observations of your own dueling skills, Master."

"A pity Qui-Gon never did the same."

"Perhaps not, after all, I am also who and what I am today thanks to him. If it were not so, perhaps I would be a lesser man."

"And perhaps you would be greater."

"Perhaps, but what is, is. One cannot change the past, merely accept it, learn, and strive to do better next time."

"Now, now, don't spoil this for me with Jedi foolishness, Obi-Wan. Not when I'm enjoying myself so!"

Tyrannus silenced him with a swift, one-handed thrust. Kenobi did not block it, instead, he moved just enough to avoid it and attacked for the first time since they'd begun. With a speed the Sith Lord found equal parts dazzling and surprising, he managed to stall Obi-Wan's swing with a momentary block. Kenobi did not press blade to blade, instead, using the momentum he'd built up, swung again, this time for Tyrannus' chest rather than the shoulder.

The Count blocked this as well, feeling his single hand strain against Kenobi's offensive. Deciding to take initiative once again, he attacked next forcing Obi-Wan to the side and performing a series of thrusts and slicing motions with nothing more than his wrist. Instead of blocking or meeting attack with an attack. Kenobi merely... Danced away from the blows, each one coming furiously, dangerously close to finishing him but never so much as singing the very corners of his robes or hair.

Out of nowhere, Obi-Wan broke the attack sequence with a wide, sweeping Shii-Cho motion that was equal parts wild but also controlled. Kenobi didn't just attack to halt his enemies, he observed the patterns of Tyrannus' attacks and waited for the most opportune time to strike. Dooku himself was left standing mid-thrust while Kenobi's blade came closer and closer to his waist. Yet, instead of cutting him down when he could have, Obi-Wan diverted the trajectory of the blade away from a killing stroke.

The Sith Lord wasted no time in getting away, concentrating a portion of his energies to his feet and launching himself into the air. By the time he landed at one of the many tactical display tables around the control room, Kenobi was already there, performing the same Ataru motion. Momentarily invigorated by this display, The Count smiled, remembering how thoroughly he'd mastered the ins and outs of the form thanks to countless hours sparring with Yoda and Qui-Gon that he waited for the follow-up. Kenobi landing into a crouch and performing a wasteful, ridiculous circle sweep around his entire surroundings to not only strike at the enemy but to cut off any escape.

With grim satisfaction, Tyrannus stood his ground and observed the folly to come with rapt anticipation. Kenobi crouched and swung, the Sith Lord merely took a step back, just far enough away for the blade sweep to miss him and waited for a chance to stab. Then, he struck!

* * *

Obi-Wan let his feint play out, appearing to leave himself vulnerable by playing into Dooku's knowledge of Ataru and his experiences with Qui-Gon to cloud his judgment. The Force, as ever, guided him to victory, prompting him to simply let go and relax even as the red blade stabbed forward to carve a hole through his chest. Mid-swing, Obi-Wan limply let himself fall to the table in a move few would attempt to. But it worked.

Dumbfounded, Dooku stared at the absurdity of what he saw and it was all the time Obi-Wan needed. With another feint, this time pretending to carve legs apart, he swung and watched with some amusement as Dooku's eyes widened and he took to the air with a spinning leap of pure acrobatic absurdity. With a blast of telekinetic energy, Obi-Wan sent the Count flying across the room mid-flip and right into one of the walls on the eastern side. Then, with a concentrated burst of Ataru, he spun across the table, leaped to his feet, and crossed the same distance.

The momentum did the rest, leaving the rest of Obi-Wan's energies free to handle other matters, such as feinting a stab of his own this time. Purposefully aimed to strike a few inches away from Dooku's face, the Jedi Master watched his eyes bulge again and him back away with an aristocratic flourish. He recovered quickly enough to begin his trademark Makashi dance again. A series of tight, precise motions meant to confuse and intimidate.

Obi-Wan's defenses met and rendered the assault meaningless. He let the attacks come for as long as Dooku was able to give them, more and more of his attacks becoming clearer with each passing moment. Because of Obi-Wan's own studies into his tactics, or perhaps Qui-Gon's old Master was burning through his reserves of Dark Side power faster than he thought.

Indeed, the only success Dooku managed to acquire by that point was by aiming a kick to Obi-Wan's chest, which the Jedi saw coming and chose instead of meeting or blocking it to simply side-step away.

A curious look passed through Dooku's features. Simultaneously, he looked quite furious at this development, panting quite openly with a scowl and mostly dark look on his face. Yet, there was something else there, something he was fighting not to show. Once Obi-Wan recognized it, he couldn't help but point it out.

"Is that pride I see?"

Dooku's glare intensified for a moment until he eventually, and begrudgingly smiled. "You continue to surprise me Obi-Wan. Indeed, you have learned well from myself... And Qui-Gon as well. Our strengths and weaknesses both."

He accepted the praise sincerely but not without noticing an undercurrent behind those words. Dooku was up to something.

"Indeed, it shames me to resort to measures such as these but sometimes... Even a gentleman must forego proper etiquette."

Immediately, the red saber in his right-hand struck with a weakened but still impressive speed and ferocity. Yet it was only halfway through the fourth attack that Dooku smiled, purposefully missed, and then leaped away into the air, turning off his weapon entirely. Before he could pursue, the entire battlefield began to change.

A series of switches from all about the various control consoles went off, too many for Obi-Wan to keep track off and with them, two things came to pass. All of the doors and windows throughout the room slammed completely shut in a series of deafeningly swift bangs and crashes. After that? Every single light in the room save for the aforementioned buttons and switches lying about and Obi-Wan's own lightsaber died, covering it in total pitch blackness.

* * *

**A/N: Next time, prepare for lots and lots of The Senate vs Yoda and Anakin.**


	26. Chapter 26

"Steady now, Padmé, steady."

All she could do was manage a faint nod, breathing deeply in and out, in and out. She'd been lying on the table for... She couldn't say but it felt like forever. Lying there, feeling the quickening contractions keep coming. Master Ti was with her through all of it, using the Force to calm her down more effectively than even the medication did. In truth, most of her pain wasn't even physical. It was something... More.

The children were rattled for the first time. She could feel it. The fear and worry from them both, the uncertainty of the galaxy they were coming into shaking them more than anything else so far. It was a palpable kind of sensation, one she had to focus so much of her willpower to fight. To let them know it was all going to be okay. That they didn't have to be scared, they were coming to a place with their mother waiting for them and many, many friends.

But not their father, who was fighting for them all. So far away, so distant she could barely sense him across the stars, in the pit of the Dark Side where Coruscant used to be. What little she did feel, ate away at her confidence...

* * *

Anakin thought he'd seen the speed of lightsaber combat pushed to its limit with Grievous. Though the recently deceased general lacked the Force, the number of sabers at his disposal and the diabolic brilliance behind his design left no wonders in his mind as to who the fastest duelist he'd ever seen was. With dozens of strikes in the span of a single moment between his six blades, each single-handed one as strong as a double-handed blow from Anakin himself, Grievous was more of a never-ending blur of motion. A living buzzsaw capable of decimating even some of the best Jedi into pieces.

He was nothing next to Sidious.

Anakin himself employed his tried and tested methods. A staunch, Djem So offensive, attack then block and finally counterattack using the kinetic energy built up with each motion to press the enemy and batter him down. Master Yoda was a green, living whirlwind, constantly jumping about in Ataru spins and leaps so intricate but also deceptively simple that it Anakin wished he could take even a fraction of a moment to enjoy the sheer craft behind it. It wasn't every day one could see the result of a thousand years of training.

Sidious was both of these and then neither one entirely at a moment's notice.

He tried to break the Sith Lord's defense with a strong, overhead swing. The kind of blow that would've sent Ventress' blade out of her hand and cut her in half. It was a known weakness of dual blade fencing, they simply lacked enough raw strength to meet or deliver Djem So level blows. Sidious didn't so much as flinch, catching the strike with almost no effort. With his free hand, he intercepted Master Yoda's latest acrobatic dervish while his leg went to strike at Anakin's knee.

Anakin broke the blade lock and jumped back, only to narrowly duck under Sidious' desk flung across the room at the back of his head with the merest wrist flick. He and Master Yoda dueled alone for a few seconds, moving so fast they seemed to vanish in and out of reality itself to someplace Anakin couldn't perceive. Not for the first time, he felt woefully inadequate even being there which wasn't about to stop him from helping any way he could.

Leaping in the fray, Sidious sensed his downward slash and deftly leaped back. Master Yoda was on him first, unleashed a series of low but very close lightsaber slashes directed for the Sith Lord's legs. Anakin went at him from above, opting to deliver a more decisive decapitation. Somehow, even with his arms occupied with defense, Sidious managed to contort his upper body just low enough to avoid the strike. This time, mid-swing and surprised, Anakin had no chance to stop his leg from burying itself into his left kidney.

Gritting his teeth to fight back the pain, Anakin fell anyway when something through the Force pushed him down. It was only when the heat of a red saber passed inches away from his ear that he realized Master Yoda saved him. Mid-fall, he managed the difficult task of balancing himself on one hand and pushing off the floor well enough to land back on his feet following a short jump.

Sidious had gone on more of an offensive in the brief span of time he was alone with Master Yoda, he was pushing forward with every strike, moving with a speed and precision matching that of the Grand Master. Anakin ran forward, hoping to take advantage of a strike to the back. Without even turning around, Sidious broke the offensive, purposefully aiming just close enough for Master Yoda to raise his saber in-defense without actually hitting it and side-leaped away from Anakin's stab.

Using the motion to switch over into a swing, Anakin and then Master Yoda came at him again and this time, Sidious performed the most unnerving thing he'd done by far: he was moving like Obi-Wan. It was the same level of Soresu mastery, now with two blades, absolute devotion to defense, a minimalist movement that nevertheless never allowed any harm to come to him. A conscious retreat, letting the enemy burn through their energy reserves while he kept his just fine. Energy reserves that seemed to considerable already. Master Yoda's weren't. However, imperceptibly, Anakin started noticing him slowing down. Ataru was a drain even for young men like him and Master Yoda was no such thing and his height meant he had to keep it going.

And there was no way he could take Sidious down if Master Yoda was hurt or... No. It was time to try something different. He missed his next attack, letting the motion look clumsy and tired. He missed again, and again, and again. Making himself appear as sloppy as possible until the constantly smiling Sith Lord attacked. In an instant, he transformed into a wild blitz of strikes Anakin had no hope of counter-attacking against. He didn't have to, he was pulling an Obi-Wan too and completely ditching attack for defense.

Master Yoda took advantage of this, stopping for a fraction of a moment to re-gather more energy from the Force before jumping back into action to something closer to his initial speed. With Anakin taking the brunt of the blows, staunchly if with less finesse than his Master would have and Master Yoda unrelentingly attacking, the two of them managed to deadlock Sidious just long enough for him to slip up for the first time.

He overshot his right saber's swing and Master Yoda leaped alongside it, spinning his tiny green body and slicing the tip of its emitter clean off. Sidious' yellow eyes blazed in the moment of his retreat, a series of quick and sly body contortions allowing him to emerge unscathed from the lightsaber attacks coming at him. He struck back during a break in the assault, snarling and thrusting both of his hands at them.

The effect was immediate and powerful enough that Anakin's whole body seemed to shake from the telekinetic blast, it hurt even worse than the flash of pain coming from the back of his head. Master Yoda took it better, managing to curl himself into ball mid-air and mitigating the damage, landing on his feet while Anakin lied there.

"Well done, Jedi," Sidious' pleased but distorted voice said as the roof of the office opened up and he stood atop the Chancellor pod's spire. "I was starting to think this contest was already over. I am happy to see that it is not."

With a massive leap, he flung himself into the Senatorial chamber overhead even as the spire continued rising up. Master Yoda didn't pursue, he went first to Anakin who was still busy trying to get back up.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just..."

"Troubled you are, and sense I can for what reason," Master Yoda said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Your wife, sense her distress you do..."

Anakin looked at him and nodded. The truth was he'd thrown himself into the fight not simply to stop the Sith, it was to not think about what was going on elsewhere. An old habit he thought he grew out of but it was easier said than done. Even with the power of the Dark Side all but severing the connection between them, Anakin knew, deep down, his wife was hurting. Were the children coming? Were they all alright? Would he come back to them and find something terrible waiting for him?

"... We've got to get back, soon."

"Yes, we shall. But not before we finish what must be done."

With one of the shakiest attempts to calm himself possibly in his life, Anakin refocused as much of his perceptions on Master Yoda as he could, even with the air still crackling, waiting for another spark to light it up. Rising to his feet, he looked at the spire of the Chancellor's pod go up and up and approached it with Master Yoda at his side. With another glance, the two Jedi gathered their energies and leaped several feet into the air, landing at the very base of the gargantuan Senatorial Dome.

And there, waiting for them at the upper levels was the smiling Sidious. Arms spread out, lightsaber nowhere in sight, the Sith Lord stooped at the edge of one of the countless empty pods and with a single flick of his wrists, detached several of them from their sockets. Anakin and Master Yoda both knew where this was going and the instant the first pod came crashing toward them, they jumped away. One to the left, the other to the right.

Both of them leaped from pod to pod as Sidious cackled on, a deranged sound so enhanced by the vacancy of the dome Anakin could swear it was boring into his very brain. The Sith Lord was far from distracted, he struck out at the two of them again and again with deft speed, constantly cutting off one means for them to get up or pushing them down a level. At least, Anakin found himself more pressed. Master Yoda was faring better.

Pushing his Ataru skills to their levels, Master Yoda leaped from pod to pod, sometimes crawling under or between two to break Sidious' line of sight long enough to make the next jump. Just three sections down, he re-ignited his lightsaber and prepared to take a final, distance closing leap when everything went completely wrong. Sidious, as though he saw it coming, swung his right arm, and flung the pod Master Yoda stood on all the way to the other side of the Senatorial chamber. Not only did he throw it was a grossly catastrophic speed, but he added the flourish of making it spin around and around as it did so.

Then, with a disgusting crunch, the metal pod smashed into another parked far away and Anakin watched as Master Yoda just barely managed to jump out at the last second and sink his claws into the side, holding on for dear life.

"Master!"

"Always look out for yourself, first and foremost, Anakin!"

Snapping back in the direction of Sidious, his eyes widened and saw the shadow of another pod coming right toward him. Anakin knew there was no chance for him to dodge it and so he didn't. Instead, he stood his ground and thrust both hands toward the incoming projectile. Halfway between them, it stopped, caught in their telekinetic push and pull. Despite his smile, the Sith Lord seemed to strain against Anakin's power, not managing to win the contest of strength. Anakin himself was emboldened by this and pushed harder, gritting his teeth so hard he could swear they'd break soon.

Then, Sidious' eyes almost blazed enough to glow from under his cloak, and from his fingertips, came a torrent of Sith Lighting. But not directed at Anakin, at the pod. With a horrible clarity born from his skill with technology, Anakin could see it all happen. The dark power enter into the mechanisms of the pod through a series of holes built into it. He could feel the circuitry inside burst into fire as though it was his own hair doing it. He could feel the heat of the explosion moments before it happened.

And even with all of this in mind, even with all his skill in technology, it wasn't enough. Anakin let go of the telekinetic battle too late. Mid-leap and just barely five feet away, Sidious' timed bomb went off with such force his whole body reeled from the impact. His back went numb, his ears rang and every pod he hit on the way down hurt worse than the last. By the time he reached the bottom, he was too beaten and dazed to feel anything at all.

He lied there, in a state of near unconsciousness, and stared at nothing. Some old reflex kept his mechanical hand moving, looking for his lightsaber but he couldn't find it. Distantly, he thought Obi-Wan would kill him for that. Eyelids heavy, fatigue, and overwhelming, numbing pain wearing him down, Anakin almost let himself drift off into sleep.

Then he heard it, a cry from a hoarse, unmistakable voice and the cackle of deranged maniac followed by the whizzing and whirling of lightsaber blades. Very close by. Finding a new shred of strength within himself, Anakin tried to get up, to force his body to listen to him, to get back into the fight any way he knew how. And it did, in the slowest and most laborious way imaginable. If he had the luxury of time, Anakin would've thought he was lucky he was only beaten and bruised and not left a cripple by the fall.

Turning himself to face the floor, Anakin took long, unsteady breaths and through his clouded vision, saw the outlines of Master Yoda and Sidious fighting on. Again, he looked about for his saber and couldn't find it. Only distantly feel it somewhere far below the Senatorial chamber. It must've gotten lost in the pipes down there. He briefly wondered if he could actually somehow get to it and return in time to help Master Yoda when he heard the distinct sound of a lightsaber carving through something.

With a suddenly horrible clarity, Anakin saw it: Master Yoda's lightsaber cut in half, its owner panting and taking steps away from Sidious while the Sith Lord, smiling and triumphant loomed over him. From across the sixty feet separating them, Anakin could swear those evil, yellow eyes looked at him a moment before his leg moved like a blur and uppercut Master Yoda across the face.

Before he even landed, Sidious grabbed hold of his throat across the Force and proceeded to pound the struggling Master onto anything he could see over and over again. With each bang, Anakin tried harder to move, each blow to his teacher hurting so bad he could practically feel it. But he was still too slow, he'd barely gotten his chest off the floor when the noise suddenly stopped. Only to be replaced by something far more horrible. Yoda's scream.

A burst of Sith Lightning exploded from Sidious' hand and slammed him back into the ground, causing Yoda to skid against it with Sidious moving closer. The Grand Master gasped, wheezed, and struggled in the assault, his body so electrocuted his skeleton was becoming visible. But that was nothing next to the sound of it. The cries of pain and misery from one of the greatest men he'd ever meant sent a cold chill through Anakin's whole body. Worse than the Dark Side. Worse than Sidious' very presence.

The sheer, horrifying notion that Anakin would see Master Yoda die right in front of him terrified him so much it gave him the incentive he needed to finally move... Into the Lightning. With no lightsaber to use, Anakin simply threw himself there and hoped beyond hope the Force would know what to do for him. His left hand managed something, moving on an instinct unknown to him, forming a small barrier to block off the Sith Lightning. His other hand wasn't so lucky.

The arm given to him by Dooku could not channel the Force properly. Anakin always had to struggle against an invisible barrier with it and nothing made this deficiency more clear than the Sith Lightning effortlessly cutting its way through it. With the same clarity as with the pod minutes ago, Anakin could imagine the frying of circuitry, the explosion to come, and this time he felt it too. Moments after throwing himself in front of the attack, Anakin's glove burst into the flames, then his arm began to jitter and spasm. Finally, it exploded with such a searing pain it was like a lightsaber crawled up through his stump and burned into his brain.

Somehow, his miserable barrier managed to hold, but just barely. He was on his knees, crying and moaning openly from the sheer agony. The strands of Sith Lightning slowly but surely burning away at him piece by piece, growing stronger with each one of Sidious' steps.

"This power could have been yours, Anakin!" Sidious, now appearing more like a gargantuan monster than anything resembling a man shouted through the noise of his own malevolence. "But you chose the path of weakness. Now, you will suffer for it. Just as your precious Master Yoda did, just as all of your friends and family will too. In due time."

Another realization of a different sort then came to Anakin, spurned by his imagination and what Sidious threatened. No, would absolutely do if he failed. Anakin could see it all with horrible clarity, the galaxy fallen, Sidious reigning supreme. Everyone Anakin knew and love dead... Or worse. He didn't know if this was something from the Force, a vision of what was to come or merely his own pained, agonizing mind playing a horrible trick on him. But as a feeling of pure, seething anger the likes of which he hadn't sensed in a long time came over him, Anakin very quickly stopped giving a damn.

Managing to hold the barrier steadier, Anakin dared to look at Sidious and grew angrier. Angry for how he was winning, how he was smiling and cackling his way through the entire battle, how he was so smug and conceited that he dared to think it was already over. That he'd beaten Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One! Anakin hated him. Deeply, intimately. Hated him more than the Sand Raiders who killed his mother. Hated him more than the war which had torn the galaxy into pieces.

Anakin managed to stand, feeling a fresh, invigorating power come over him. Yes, he hated Sidious... And Yoda. The old fool for being too weak to hold his own. He hated Obi-Wan for not being there, wasting time - saving a bastard like Dooku who didn't deserve anything but a saber through the neck. He hated them all, smug, conceited, self-righteous... They'd all condemn him for beating Sidious like this, to hell with them! How else could he win?! There was no other way! Even she would look down on him, even his own wife...

His wife whose voice appeared in his thoughts. She sounded tired, worried... And happy. Happier than he'd ever heard her before. Anakin didn't need to wonder why both of the reasons became clear to him soon after. His children, they'd arrived. That's why Padmé had been hurting, the twins were coming and now, they were there. Suddenly, Anakin was no longer on Coruscant. He wasn't fighting Sidious or trying to save Yoda. He was with them. Inside Kota's ship, in the medical bay where a sweating Padmé was holding in both hands two of the most precious things he'd ever seen.

Luke and Leia.

They cried at first, needing to be shushed by their mother until they were together. All four of them in the Force, pure and clear again like they always were. Drawing incredible strength unlike any other from one another. With a restored right hand, Anakin touched the twins and couldn't help but smile when they giggled at him. And as he basked in this feeling, Anakin Skywalker was given a true vision of the future.

Standing to the side, observing time and space flow away from him as though he were an observer from a distant galaxy, Anakin saw it all. The Jedi Order, restored and made better than ever. The Republic entering a new golden age, free of tyranny and Sith machinations. He saw Obi-Wan, an older man, smiling in that mild way he did, both hands on the shoulders of two people Anakin recognized immediately. Their children, grown up and happy. And they weren't alone.

Faces he thought were gone were there too, along with many, many more he didn't recognize. But he recognized Padmé immediately, looking older, with lots of grey in her hair. Proud, smiling but also with just a hint of sadness on her face. And he knew exactly why. Because Anakin wasn't among them and he knew why. This final truth was clear and unmistakably painful but he only allowed himself a moment to feel sad.

Because this was still only one possible future, one among many and the moment to decide which one of them would come to pass was still happening. Back on Coruscant, between himself and Sidious. The point which would tip the Force back into Balance or send it into a dark chasm. Everything rested on his next move, and Anakin knew it because the Force would help him see it through. If this was what he had to do help save the galaxy, save his teachers, friends, and family, then there was nothing else for it. He'd get it done.

But first, there was something else to do. With a steadiness amidst the growing chaos of lightning, Anakin directed his stump in the direction of Master Yoda. Grand Master, moaning and steadily waking up was as gentle as a leaf to move away to safety. He was also still strong, forcing himself awake despite his injuries and fatigue. For a moment, Master Yoda sat near one of the lower entrance, back pressed against a wall and expression drowsy and dumbfounded.

Anakin gave him a warm smile and then brought down his barrier. He didn't have a chance when it came to blocking Sidious, with one arm, no lightsaber, and nothing but instinctive experience in the deflection, trying it was useless. But what Anakin could do was let go and embrace the overwhelming energy crashing into and through his body.

He didn't feel any pain as he ran into it, he didn't scream or flinch or even slow down. The only thing Anakin did was let the power in and with his remaining hand, grabbed Darth Sidious by the throat. The Sith Lord was so shocked by what happened that he failed to react and soon, both victim and torturer became two parts of a supper conductive loop of Sith Lightning perpetually coursing in and out of both of them.

Soon enough, they were lifted off the ground as a massive wind of crackling power reverberated in their immediate vicinity, growing more and more powerful with each moment. The Force itself seemed to bend around this focusing point, this cataclysmic convergence of powers unlike any seen in a thousand years. Sidious tried to break free but there was nothing he could do, Anakin's grip was tighter than steel and he was already past the point of mere physical agony slowing or stopping him down.

It was at this impossibly long moment where Anakin and Sidious were locked in a loop of perpetually building pure Force energy, a veritable time bomb that was impossible to stop the Sith Lord was afforded a vision of his own future. Immediately, all his decades of plotting, scheming, training, and accumulated power gave away to a crippling fear for his own existence. He would not pass on into the netherworld of the Force, he would not linger on as other Sith Lords have as a malignant entity to poison the galaxy further. No, Sidious would become nothing. For a creature who so thoroughly personified the idea of putting oneself above absolutely everyone and everything else, who along with his Master had designs to manipulate life itself, there was no more fitting punishment than absolute oblivion.

Such was the fate of Plagueis before him, such was his impending fate as well, such was the will of the Force. And more clearly than ever before, Sidious understood it in all its horrifying implications. He raged, snarled, and tried to fight through the storm even as the second part of it, only hastening his already inevitable demise. The blowback from being incinerated inside out by his own power cast away the visage of Palpatine and revealed the sunk-eyed, malformed grotesquery of Sidious' true appearance for all to see. His momentary fit gave way to even greater fear, causing the Sith'ari to snivel and beg for a reprieve he wouldn't get. When the accumulated power of the Force finally exploded in an incinerating display of power, Darth Sidious was vaporized instantly, his final howl of abject misery and terror so feeble one would think he died whimpering instead.

As for Anakin Skywalker? He peacefully and graciously accepted his death, becoming one with the Force.


	27. Chapter 27

The Dark Side coiled about him like a predator, circling about in anticipatory glee until the moment to strike present itself. Indeed, Obi-Wan could see Dooku's plan already working as intended. The thick blackness all-around and the heavy stillness accompanying it were broken only by the blue glow and faint hum of his saber. The lack of sight was of no concern, even half-way trained Padawans learned quickly enough to fight without sight, sound, or any number of physical sensations. So long as the Force was around, one needed only it for guidance.

This was the brilliance of Dooku's strategy. Mustafar was a ruined world, scared and damaged beyond any hope of repair. It was perpetually seeping out more than simply lava in boundless quantities, it was a nexus of the Dark Side itself. A planet-sized testament to the most horrible aspects of the wondrous energies connected all life in its intricate tapestry. The Count previously used it to enhance his abilities and now, when that would no longer work, he let it mask his presence.

It permeated through every shadow. Choking the filtered air pumped into the station. Thickening the blackness. Imperceptible pressing against Obi-Wan's entire body in moves meant to slow down and stress out. The Dark Side shroud also protected Dooku who, as silent as a creature of the night, was somewhere inside it. Moving about with great ease and absolute control. No matter how much Obi-Wan attempted to pierce through the smog, his perceptions were overwhelmed and retreated to only his person.

"Afraid, Obi-Wan?" Dooku's baritone glided through the air with an ominous reverb. "The ultimate power, the one you and the rest of them refuse to use, is all around you. It must bring back many fond memories of choking on it on Coruscant."

"I preferred the Room of a Thousand Fountains myself," Obi-Wan replied, looking for any sign of attack. "Far more pleasant than this... Power, as you so call it."

"It **is** power, Obi-Wan. Power in its most tangible form. Invigorating to its master, suffocating for its enemy."

"I shall take your word for it, Master. Personally, I am loathed to feel as though I'm stuck on the inside of a factory chimney."

Even Dooku's laugh reverberated. "Such sharp wit, my friend. I wonder how well it will protect you when the time comes!"

He did not so much emerge from the shadows as though they seemed to peel off of him mid-leap with the ignition of his lightsaber. Obi-Wan held his ground and managed to block the three swipes and single thrust sent his way before the blackness embraced Dooku again and hid him inside. With measured steps, Obi-Wan began to move across the room, remembering where everything was. There was no sound at all save for the hum of an ignited blade and the gentle tapping of his boots against durasteel.

Another snap-hiss from the shadows came soon after and this time, Obi-Wan was far more ready to meet it. Dooku himself did not emerge with it and immediately Obi-Wan prepared himself for trouble. The telekinetically controlled blade came at him with flourishes impossible for any human hand to execute and it was joined soon enough by one of the tables torn off the ground and flung in his direction. With one hand occupied deflecting the sword swings, Obi-Wan used his other to blast away the table.

It was then that Dooku emerged, in the scant moment where Obi-Wan was caught between objects. His boot struck the nose, sending a flash of stinging white pain through Obi-Wan's whole skull and tumbling back to the ground. With an effortless wrist motion, Dooku snatched his weapon from the air and unleashed an offensive barrage that met only feeble resistance. Obi-Wan's efforts were split between trying to restore his balance while also holding off the blade strikes.

When he did manage to block and counterattack, Dooku's mostly shadowed, blood-red face revealed a gruesome smile. At that moment, his weapon shrunk to nearly half its length, and Obi-Wan could do little but stare as his own blade cut through nothing but air. With another press of his button, Dooku's return to full length. It was only an instinctive, last-second roll to the side that saved him from being skewered through the chest. In truth, Obi-Wan escaped the exchange with only a surface level burns across his upper left shoulder.

It was not a proper cut, that would've been far more troublesome but even Obi-Wan's mild nature couldn't prevent him from flinching and gritting his teeth ever so slightly from the burning sensation. Dooku did not press on, disabling his weapon again and slithering back into darkness. Obi-Wan did not pursue, instead of focusing his breathing in such a way to expel the pain from his body and out into the Force. The practice seemed to elicit a pleased murmur from Dooku.

"I can feel it, your pain, your misery. It is a sensation most... Spiritous."

"Indulging in it strikes me as unhealthy."

"You would know otherwise if you simply allowed yourself to try."

Obi-Wan did not have to try to know otherwise. The Clone Wars, Naboo, these past few weeks, they had shown him pain in a great many forms. He would never wish even half of those experiences on anyone, much less purposefully inflict them to appease himself. What troubled him the most was Dooku himself. Since the turn of the battle, his previous demeanor was more apparent. There were fewer and fewer cracks in his fighting style and particularly his personality. If Obi-Wan ventured to guess, it was this troublesome Dark Side smog he'd erected about the room clouding him, pushing his apparent doubts into deep, deep recesses.

If he was to complete his mission, this could not be allowed to continue. But how to dispel it? Obi-Wan was under no such illusions to believe he could repel such a miasmic gathering of malignant powers. He could endure, certainly, for a very long time but this would accomplish nothing but delay one of two inevitabilities, neither of which was acceptable to him.

That was when he smiled as a very dangerous, very useful plan bloomed in his mind. It was risky beyond any description, the kind of risk that could end horribly in a simple instant. It was the kind of plan only Anakin could possibly think of and would no doubt enjoy listening about when they re-united. Yes, he would go through with it. The Force would guide him to whatever end lay in store for him.

Rising back to his feet, Obi-Wan de-activated his lightsaber and took a single breath. His whole being was focused on perceiving through the smoke, all of his years of perception and telekinetic training reaching out furtively to their numerous targets. Otherwise? He was completely defenseless, Dooku could strike him down in a moment, and inevitably would just as the plan required him to.

"What is this?" He inquired, amused. "An admission of defeat, I hope?"

"Quite the contrary, it is but the prelude to yours."

A scoff came from the shadows. "We shall see about that, my young friend!"

A snap his came followed by the beating of leather boots. There was the hiss of air cut by a lightsaber mere feet away. Dooku would be on him soon, but not soon enough. In those precarious moments between life and death, Obi-Wan smiled and flung both of his hands upward. The wave of focused, small, and numerous telekinetic waves exploded throughout the room. Not aimed at Dooku, but at the numerous buttons and levers situated throughout the multitude of control consoles.

The windows flung themselves open, the doors banged rhythmically up and down, the lights turned on and a self-destruct sequence warning initiated. Dooku halted instantaneously and watched around, mouth agape and eyes wide. Obi-Wan merely smiled and leaped back from a poorly swung strike. He watched in those precious few moments as Dooku frantically went about telekinetically pressing as series of buttons across the room, successfully stopping the self-destruct. In the meantime, Obi-Wan did something similar by ripping out the buttons and levers capable of manipulating the lights, closing the windows and doors, and anything else that might give Dooku his previous advantage. Obi-Wan did it just in time to re-ignite his blade and intercept another blow with ease.

"You are mad!"

"I believe the word you're looking for is audacious."

Dooku's left eye twitched, he snarled and came in an attack sequence which Obi-Wan parried and blocked entirely. With his free hand, Obi-Wan sent the various removed buttons and levers sprawled throughout the room directly at Dooku. They were just quick and dispersed enough for him to suffer minuscule but attention diverting hits here and there. More than enough for Obi-Wan to attack, to finally end this battle and cut his lightsaber in-half.

Then something happened, something very horrible, though he did not fully understand it at first. Even Dooku felt it and froze as well.

Somewhere far, far away, a monumental outburst of pure Force energy erupted, resonating so profoundly, so absolutely, Obi-Wan felt as though he was stuck in the vacuum of space, at the mercy of an incoming explosion from which nothing to could protect him. His whole body shook, his heart skipped a beat and momentarily, his mind entirely blanked out. He even stopped breathing.

Even in this numbed state, Obi-Wan's perceptions eventually grasped the full picture. The eruption came from Coruscant, it was the Dark Side... It was gone from there, gone entirely. He could see the whole world there as though it was in front of him. He allowed himself a relieved smile and laugh... Until his thoughts looked deeper, to the epicenter of it all. Obi-Wan saw Master Yoda there, in the Senatorial dome, walking up to a blasted crater with remnants of lightning on the ground. He was alone.

When he finally realized, but not accepted, why that was, why Anakin was nowhere in-sight and why Master Yoda felt as though someone tore a hole in his chest, Obi-Wan's heart broke.

* * *

Dooku gasped, blinking and heaving, watching the Dark Side... Wither away. No, be obliterated into almost nothing. It was not only on Coruscant but everywhere. The power with which they had built the Empire, with which they would have carved this mad galaxy into something worthwhile, at last, was already a worthless shadow of its former self. Because he was dead. Darth Sidious was gone.

The fact was so impossible to grasp, Dooku did not even perceive when he and Kenobi had walked away from one another. He holding himself upright against a nearby console while Dooku's free hand grasped the closest chair for support. This was horrible, it was a catastrophe! What were they to do now? Sidious was the true leader, the true Master of the Sith! This changed... Everything. It put everything into jeopardy.

He had to leave Mustafar. He could not die there, too much was on the line. Dooku had tossed aside too much for it to simply... Come to nothing now. Then, a noise broke his considerations. A sob. It was from Obi-Wan. Staring at Qui-Gon's pupil with a look of abject shock, Dooku realized he was crying, openly and in horrible misery.

All of his Jedi training, all of his self-control, all of his humility was shattered. Because Obi-Wan's student was gone, Anakin Skywalker had taken himself down with Sidious in a final gambit to ensure Jedi victory. And Kenobi knew this with horrible clarity. His breathing was ragged, his face already red and streams of tears falling down his face. Looking lost and confused entirely, the only words to come from Obi-Wan were "no" and "Anakin".

Dooku stared on, unable to accept this, accept anything. He suddenly felt very weak, very old. Because Obi-Wan reminded him of himself... When he learned what happened to Qui-Gon and this simple fact caused a compulsion to nearly overtake him. The compulsion for him, Count Dooku of Serenno, Darth Tyrannus, and last of the Sith, to simply walk over to Kenobi and... Console him.

But that would mean the true end of everything. Even more so than dying to Obi-Wan's blade, Dooku understood that such a gesture meant all his efforts were wasted. All he'd cast away in pursuit of this direction was for naught, as flawed and worthless as Obi-Wan claimed it was. All the death and destruction, all the scheming and sacrifices, everything Dooku was these past few years would turn to ash. If he forsook the Sith path, then Dooku would truly cast away his entire life into the trash heap of irrelevancy.

The steely anger overtook him, backed by desperation and fear. He couldn't let that come to pass. Too much had transpired, he couldn't change his path, not again. And so, Tyrannus, shaken but unwilling to accept the horrible alternative, attacked Obi-Wan. Kenobi reacted in-spite of his turmoil, managed to leap aside, and tumble onto the ground.

Yet before the Sith Lord could attack again, he froze. Obi-Wan looked at him strangely, eyes still wet, breathing rasping. It was the look of realization slowly spreading across his features.

"... My student is dead," Kenobi said in a tone of faint disbelief. "... My brother... Is dead... The boy who was to be Qui-Gon's next apprentice just died..."

He shook his head and Tyrannus saw something else on his face. The narrowing of his eyes, the slow clenching of his fists.

"And you... You who trained Qui-Gon... Who grieved for him... Cannot even let me do the same?"

Rising, chest heaving up and down as what few remaining tears dried in his eyes, Obi-Wan clenched his lightsaber and scowled in a way that exemplified pure, disbelieving rage. Suddenly, Tyrannus felt a shift occur in the Force, around Kenobi. The translucent being who freely and graciously served as a window into the Force, a being who shone so brightly in it, dimmed more and more. A storm cloud was gathering there.

"Are you truly, truly," Obi-Wan said in a low snarl, taking a step forward. "So corrupted, such a broken, contemptible creature that you do not even have the barest shred of empathy? Of even basic decency?!"

His blue-blade swing and Dooku just barely overcame his shock to sidestep away from it as it cleaved through the table. Kenobi did not pull it out, instead, he stayed there for a moment, keeping the blade down then slowly got it free by casually severing everything between it and open air. The cold fury in his eyes was paralyzing. Terrifying. Dooku, feebly tried to say something, a plea, remark, anything yet every single word died in his throat by staring at the bloodthirstiness of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

His anger was snuffed out, leaving nothing but fear and desperation to drive him and so he attacked again, over and over again. Kenobi, as ever withstood it all, his fury not diminishing his Soresu. The only change was the fact Obi-Wan advanced forward. He never took a step back, he never gave way or halted. He simply kept moving onwards with a deliberate pace. Not slow enough to give the enemy enough time, but not fast enough to end it too quickly.

Dooku was pressed more and more with each passing moment. No matter what technique with a lightsaber he tried, Kenobi withstood it effortlessly, his narrowed eyes never leaving Dooku's own and in doing so, clawing away at his rapidly shrinking confidence. This was not Jedi Soresu, this was Soresu by way of Dun Moch. An impenetrable defense not made to withstand the enemy so as to buy time for negotiation, appeasements or simply to wait for a proper striking opportunity. No, this was a show of force. A show of making oneself appear like an unstoppable, impenetrable object.

With each strike, Dooku felt his powers wane further, and further, Kenobi was barely flicking his wrists anymore to deflect and his pace began to pick up. Panting and forcing his weary arms to holdfast, Dooku grit his teeth and shouted, releasing a telekinetic blast directly at Obi-Wan who was only five feet away. Kenobi walked through it mid-step, the pounding of his boots against the durasteel sounding like the drums of an ancient, dangerous ritual rapidly ascending to its bloody crescendo.

With the wall closing in behind him, Dooku gasped and tried to gather his shreds of power left for one final attack. Something to help him hold Kenobi off before everything became that much worse. Yet when he thrust his fingertips in direction of the enraged Jedi Master, not even sparks came out. Staring at his useless hand, Dooku glanced at Kenobi and saw the beginnings of a predatory snarl on his face, his arms pulling back over his head for a massive blow. It was only some miracle that Dooku was able to block it.

For all the good it did. The hammer strike was so powerful he was propelled across the room twenty feet and smashed into a nearby wall with enough force to dent it. His body went numb, his blade slipped from his fingers and Dooku could do nothing but feebly try to fight against the darkness passing over his eyes.

* * *

Obi-Wan stood over the unconscious Count, breathing deeply, his chest on fire and his body invigorated but the pure release in the aftermath of his blow. It was unlike anything he'd felt before, so purifying, so rejuvenating Obi-Wan did nothing for a moment to take it in with a single deep breath. All of it, as much as he could. Because it felt good, and if it stopped or lessened, he would feel things he couldn't bear to. Things no Master should ever feel but they did, because of Palpatine... And Dooku.

Because of them, how many Jedi would feel this pain and agony? How many of them would know such profound loss? And for what? The machinations of psychotic murderers and egomaniacs dedicated to bending all to their will? Was that the kind of person the Force wanted him to save? Was that the kind of person worthy of redemption?!

Obi-Wan knew the answer: no. Dooku would not leave this place alive, if he could not be there to save Anakin, then he would cut this bastard down and ensure his schemes never hurt anyone ever again. With this thought, Obi-Wan walked the final distance to Dooku, with a telekinetic swipe of his hand, he forced to Count up, propping him against the nearby wall. Then, he positioned his blade inches from the Count's face, letting its heat hasten the wakening process. He wanted the Sith to be conscious enough to feel the blade carve into his chest. It was nothing less than he deserved.

When a groan escaped Dooku's lips and his face instinctively moved away from the Saber, Obi-Wan gripped it with both hands and prepared to swing, it would all be over soon enough. All the pain, misery, and anguish this poor galaxy was subjected to would end, the debt of the Sith would be paid in full.

"Obi-Wan."

He stopped and blinked. That voice was familiar. He knew it so well and yet hadn't heart it for a very, very long time. When Obi-Wan realized who it belonged to, he turned around, freezing into a statue at the sight before him. The sight of Qui-Gon Jin standing there, just a few feet away. He looked almost the same as the last time his student saw him, long greying hair, his full Jedi attire present, and yet he was unmistakably different. He was a glowing, blue, translucent being. An ethereal being of the Force.

"... Master...?"

He smiled and laughed, laughed in spite of everything. "You have gotten old, Obi-Wan, you're already forgetting the simplest of things."

"I..." Obi-Wan gulped, shaking his head. He wanted to laugh, he wanted to cry, he wanted to lash out at him, embrace him. He did none of those things but stared on. "How can this be...?"

"The Force is a great thing, Obi-Wan. Filled with countless mysteries no one being can hope to understand in a single lifetime. It is why some of us are awarded the privilege of... Another life."

Dooku stirred from behind, casting a dark mood to pass over Obi-Wan's face again. Yet before he could do anything about it, Qui-Gon's hand was on his shoulder, translucent and yet unmistakably tangible. He was so shocked by the feeling he could do nothing but stare back at his Master, his teacher returned from the netherworld of the Force.

"This is not what must be done, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said in tone all too familiar, the tone he took whenever he spoke for the Will of the Force. "Killing Dooku will bring you no pleasure, no release, it will only set you on a dark path. Let it go."

"Let it go... Let it go?!" He smacked Qui-Gon's hand away or tried to, simply stumbling back. "Anakin is dead! He died because of the Sith! Because of everything Sidious and your old Master have done! He tried to kill me even as I grieved! How can I possibly let it go?!"

"Very easily," Qui-Gon took the shouting in-stride, completely unfazed. "Do you remember what you told to Anakin when you spoke on the eve of the Coruscant invasion? Our love for those close to us... It is not measured by the amount of revenge we dispel on those who wrong or kill them."

The calming effect was immediate, the burning intensity subsiding but Obi-Wan said nothing.

"When you lost Siri, you held yourself back for what reason? What stayed your desire for revenge then?"

"... I'd truly lose her if I did it..." He answered in a low voice, avoiding Qui-Gon's look, opting to focus on the ground. "... She'd never want me to do such a thing, least of all in her name...

"And do you think Anakin would?"

"...I know he wouldn't..."

When Qui-Gon's hand rested on his shoulder again, Obi-Wan did not strike back at it, he didn't shout, yell or protest. Even his desire to see Dooku dead ebbed out of him. He didn't want to fight anyone or anything. All he wanted... Was to go home. Go home to his friends and family and with them mourn as any decent man should after such a loss.

"I am sorry, Obi-Wan."

"... Thank you, Master... For everything."

Dooku stirred again, louder this time, Obi-Wan looked at him, unsure of what to do next.

"Leave him be," Qui-Gon said, pressing his hand against Obi-Wan's back to guide him out of the room.

"Are you sure... What if-"

"Master Dooku has seen all he needs to. Trust me, and trust in the Force, you have done everything you can. What comes next, depends entirely on him."

Somehow, Obi-Wan managed to fly back to Gormo, waving a farewell to Qui-Gon who vanished at the landing pad and leaving the burnt planet of Mustafar behind him. He was tired but couldn't sleep, caught in a strange halfway point between exhaustion and stressfully awake. Too distracted to even by annoyed by flying for a change, he eventually came upon the planet of Gormo where many of the Knights and Masters awaited his return.

Obi-Wan said nothing to them, and from the look on his face, the message was clear: leave him be and so they graciously did. Heading to Master Kota's ship, he circumnavigated the length of it until he reached the medical bay. For a moment, he hesitated to go in, of facing and whatever she might say to him. Would she blame him for Anakin's death? For not being there to save him? Somehow, he managed a calming breath and went in and almost immediately stopped.

She was in a bed, looking tired beyond the ability of mere words to describe. Tired but also happy, in both hands, she cradled the sleeping bodies of two magnificent children. Anakin's children, here at last and so small, so fragile and yet so strong in the Force already. Their sensation was of a true, purifying sort, not the blinding intoxication of the Dark Side but of something else, something more.

Gently, Obi-Wan walked over to the side of the bed and looked at them closer. Padmé looked up at him, eyes also teary and red from grief. But she didn't blame him, she wasn't angry with him. All she wanted, all the two of them wanted, was someone there at that moment to ease each other's burdens. And so, the two of them, quietly and without disturbing the children, mourned the death of Anakin Skywalker.


	28. Chapter 28

Dooku dared not enter the Temple for three months. Not since the duel on Mustafar, since the deaths of Sidious and Skywalker and since he was given the role of Emperor. It was part of Palpatine's official will, to secure a successor in the event of his untimely passing. A tenuous basis for one of Dooku's reputation over the past decade to ascend to such a position with but one respected enough so far. Begrudgingly as it was.

He played the part as well as could be done given his circumstances of late. He held speeches meant to incite a fire in the hearts and minds of the people Dooku himself felt extinguish in him months ago. He dutifully met and coordinated with the newly re-organized Imperial Senate only because concentration on such matters allowed him to escape his issues for a few hours.

When he was alone, inside the Senatorial Dome, Dooku's eyes and thoughts constantly wandered over to the Temple. The ruins perpetually on the horizon, calling to him with the same frequency as their very presence seemed to mock him. In the scattered mess of his troubled dreams, his former home loomed even larger, filled with the voices of the dead and the living. All of them calling out to him, waiting for him to enter and join them in their miserable madness.

Traitor. Murderer. Failure.

These were but a few things the voices called him, curiously, none of them came from Sidious. Dooku wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse. Adding to his troubled mind was a burnt-out flesh. The Dark Side was not with him anymore, the rejuvenating power of it had left him entirely. Drawing on the Force at all left a bitter taste in his mouth. And so, Dooku was no more a great Jedi Master or a Lord of the Sith, he was merely an old man who required a cane to move about and perpetually, vividly, sensed the wear and tear of decades with every movement.

And so passed the last three months of his life, until one day he couldn't take it anymore. He gave Pestage and Amedda instructions to cancel whatever appointments he had one morning, ignoring all the pleas for reconsideration. Then, with a detachment of clone troops, Dooku made his way via a personal and well-guarded transport over the Jedi Temple. The clones were thankfully less willing to ignore his commands, even accepting the order to not follow him inside with a droid-like confirmation and nod of their heads.

With a rhythmic striking of his cane against the ground so eerily similar to Master Yoda's, Dooku spent the next several hours inside his former home, simply walking and observing as much of the place as he could. A great deal of it was inaccessible, too damaged by the fighting inside and with only minimal work done to remove debris, ruins, and other obstacles. The barest of minimums for search parties and security forces to do their work. Yet even with holes in the walls, ceiling, smashed or overturned pillars, rows of empty data libraries, and vacant apartments, the Temple was still eerily familiar to him.

The Temple Museum, once a place of countless artifacts and sources of knowledge where Dooku spent many, many hours of his youth, listening to lectures and preparing himself to be the finest Jedi he was certain he was, was almost completely empty. The various pieces of data, relics, and other assorted items meant to enrich the minds of the young and help the newer generations learn from the past looked as though a cabal of thieves had broken in and taken everything of value.

Much the same could be said of the Archives. The place where Master Nu made her presence known. A kind, approachable one but also a firebrand who made it perfectly clear that if a Jedi wished to seek knowledge, they must do it for themselves, it was not a service to be done for them. Standing amidst the empty data stacks, blasted chairs, and overturned tables, Dooku could also hear her telling one Padawan or another off.

The busts of the Lost Twenty were gone as well, all but one. Dooku found his in short order and stared at it. Even after abandoning the Jedi and publicly calling them inept, worthless, and a failed institution alongside the Republic before even joining Sidious, they'd commemorated him there. A sign of how a Jedi could lose his way and an example for future generations to take note of. The fact they'd left it there did not surprise him in the least. Future generations of Jedi would know of him well enough without a mere bust to remind them.

Eventually, around midday he ventured to guess given the color and position of the rays of sun penetrating through the blasted holes and cracks across the entire Temple, Dooku's aimless wandering brought him to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Somehow, against all odds, the seven-story tall greenhouse emerged from the siege unscathed. There was nary a hint of battle inside of it, no matter how closely Dooku looked. Not a single trampled plant, burnt piece of grass. The place was, as ever, a haven of the Force in its purest form. Even Sidious' fog could not penetrate it at the height of his power.

Dooku walked slowly, taking the natural oxygen in, letting the invigorating calm of the place ease his burdens. There was a pleasant silence there as well, the soft ground muting even the taping of his cane into barely audible thumps. After half an hour of slow but steady walking, Dooku found himself on the third floor, at a crossroads where the stone pathways split up into six directions.

Even with his Force abilities diminished to nearly nothing, the signature left behind by Master Yoda was unmistakable. His former teacher had been there, one last time. The thought was equal parts comforting and saddening for Dooku who merely stood there, watching the place in silent resignation. Soon enough, his thoughts wandered to a particular point they hadn't in a long time. Back to his youth and a particular incident with his former friend, Lorian Nod.

How they played in this place, practicing with one another, talking about which Master would make them their apprentice. Then, Lorian stole the Sith Holocron and said the words Dooku would never forget. Not as a Jedi or a Sith.

"I've seen your heart, and I know how empty it is."

A quick remark of embittered spite that profoundly shook Dooku's very idea of loyalty and friendship, poisoning them both forevermore. Lorian was expelled from the Order, not for theft but for trying to pass the blame onto one he called a friend. Dooku never felt any pity for him. Whenever he thought back to the event, he believed himself right. Lorian made his own fate, let himself be guided by jealousy instead of bettering himself or coming to terms with his inferiority. Oh how many tales Dooku spun, all sounding more true than the last.

Now he knew just how much blame was at his own feet. When the time came to reason with his friend, to try and help him, all Dooku could do was cite regulations and espouse Jedi platitudes with no thought or care to how useful they even were. Perhaps, if he was not an empty, heartless creature, he would've been able to help his friend. If not that, he could have, should have learned better lessons from the matter, instead of thinking himself too superior to listen to a freshly expelled Padawan who ultimately knew him better than anyone else.

Ultimately, Lorian was right, Dooku's heart was empty. One only needed to look at the Temple to see that.

"An empty heart does not question itself or its actions, Master."

Dooku's eyes snapped open, when did he fall asleep or sit down? He could not say, finding himself seated on a bench, hands rested on his cane and a penetrating shock coursing through his whole body. That voice, it could only be...

"Qui-Gon?"

"Yes, it's been a long time, hasn't it, Master?"

Dooku looked around, frantically searching for the source of the voice to no avail, wondering if he'd finally gone mad. "How... How can this be...?"

"An opportunity from the Force, life after the death of the body. The skill to become one with the Force, yet remain conscious of thyself."

"... Eternal life..."

"That which the Sith covet most, yet they can never have it. It is a skill for those who can release themselves into the Force, not place themselves above it."

There was no scorn or judgment in Qui-Gon's voice yet Dooku felt it anyway, at himself. His hands shook, his throat was as dry as a desert planet yet his eyes watered. Obi-Wan showing him mercy in-spite of everything from the past three years, even in the throes of a bloodthirsty rage already shook Dooku's belief in the Sith supremacy. But, this finally broke it. What more proof did someone need? On one side, Qui-Gon was a man at peace, together with the most wonderful thing in all of existence, one with existence himself with time, knowledge, and peace of mind at his disposal.

On the other? A battered and broken old man who betrayed what truly mattered, a man alone and had only himself to blame for it.

"... You've become such a great Jedi, Qui- Gon..." Dooku said, sniffing and bowing his head, resting it against his hands and cane. "No, no,... You were always a great Jedi, wiser, and kinder than I... I wish... I wish I could have seen it sooner..."

Dooku sobbed then, openly and loudly, unable to stop himself anymore. He cried for the friends and family he'd directly or indirectly destroyed, and for the student he failed even worse by using his death as the final excuse to execute said betrayals. Then, he even cried for Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker, men who Qui-Gon helped shape and suffered terribly at the hands of his master.

"It is all right, Master."

"No, no it is not... It will never be all right, Qui-Gon. I've done too much... Destroyed so many lives... All the good I could have done with my wasted life... I chose to squander it..."

Casting his cane aside, Dooku knelt on tired, aching knees and then bowed his head so deeply his face touched the grass. "... I am sorry, Qui-Gon... I am so very, very sorry..."

"There is still time, Master. Time to repair what has been broken and set things right. A chance for you to find redemption."

"I do not deserve it, Qui-Gon," Dooku said so with a burning certainty. "Peace, satisfaction, happiness... I am wholly undeserving of enjoying them ever again..."

"The fact that you feel this," Qui-Gon's voice became gentler. "This overwhelming sense of guilt, that you understand the depths of your failures and choose to humble yourself in a way I have never seen you do in all the years we've known each other is proof all is not lost for you, Master."

Then, he was gone. Dooku knew it to be true through the Force. A part of him wished to beg Qui-Gon to stay but he stopped himself. If his student was elsewhere, then that was where he was needed. Dooku eventually rose to full height, finding his step surer than it had been since Mustafar and leaned far less on his cane. He took one more look about the Room and then left, making sure not to leave anything in it disturbed in his wake.

It was during his return walk to the clones across the Temple that his mind moved away from matters of the past and to the future. The Empire would not last, he knew it to be so and desired it. But how it would come to an end, that was still something within his control. He would have to play the role of leader for some time, perhaps as many as ten more years. However, it was time enough. To gather all the evidence required, to ensure it reached the right people and made known through the right means.

Evidence of Sith corruption, of Sith manipulations spanning decades to the past. He could not hope to find it all, too much of it died with Sidious, but many of his lingering resources and knowledge were at Dooku's disposal. And there were more than a few individuals he could slowly but surely entrust the leadership of the temporary Empire and New Republic in-waiting to. Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Padmé Amidala, and many others. People within positions of power who had true dignity and respect for the freedoms and rights of others.

Dooku knew that such a plan of subverting the supposed legacy of Palpatine would be met with outrage and well-deserved indignation. The revelation that the hallowed martyr of the Republic and Empire was the root cause of their pain and misery. With Sidious dead, he would take the brunt of the blame, the Sith's co-conspirator. They would hate him, loathe him, call him traitor, murderer, and failure as a Jedi and as a man.

And Dooku was absolutely fine with this. He would accept all of these names, insults, and whatever punishments followed them gracefully and peacefully. It was the absolute very least he could do not to fail Qui-Gon one last time.

* * *

"Feel the Force around you, children, let it guide your hands, let you see beyond sight. Trust in it, and you shall be rewarded."

"Yes, Battlemaster Kenobi!" The group of students said with varying tones of respect, concentration, frustration, and synchronicity within one of the many circles in the main courtyard divided specifically for them. In the months since their arrival to Gormo, the Jedi and militia quickly went about making their new temple as livable as possible. Though quite a few roofs remained with holes for raindrops and unwanted sunlight to enter through, the mad scramble after Order 66 was already greatly subsided.

It was one among many thoughts Obi-Wan took comfort in. The other was his new position within the Order. There had been a reshuffling of responsibilities among the remaining Masters and Council members. Master Yoda formally stepped down as Grandmaster, passing the title to Shaak Ti. The events on Coruscant had taken a great toll on the wise and aged elder. They seemed to age him prematurely, making him walk with greater difficulty than before, confining him to a simple but effective hoverchair in the meanwhile.

That was not to say his importance was diminished. Master Yoda kept himself busy by teaching students, aiding in the repairs of the Temple, and easing Master Ti's transition to her new leadership position within the Order. When asked by Obi-Wan on his decision of stepping down, Master Yoda gave an honest, insightful, and sad answer.

"My time nears its end. Played my part I have, the time it is to let the younger, wiser generations shape the Order into something better. Something for the challenges ahead."

"You did all you could, Master, for all of us."

"Yes, all I did when more I should have."

Obi-Wan accepted this. It was not his place or right to question the guilt Master Yoda plainly felt. He would find the means to make peace with himself on his own terms. And if he ever required their aid, they would gladly give it. The next, possibly most unsurprising reshuffle of responsibilities concerned Obi-Wan. Well, unsurprising for everyone but him, apparently. They asked him to take the responsibility of the deceased Cin Drallig, to serve as the premier combat instructor for the entire Order.

He considered the offer for close to a week, wondering if he could do it. If he could enter back into a mentorship role so soon after Anakin's death, if he was right for it. Then, in the middle of the night, during another lengthy round of musings, Obi-Wan asked himself a question for which he received a faint but definite answer from a source all too familiar to him.

"Why choose me?"

"Because you're just that good."

The following morning, he accepted and threw himself into the role with all the diligence such a responsibility deserved. The effect eased his grief, helped him feel useful again after how dangerously close he skirted to the Dark Side on Mustafar and bolstered his sense of hope. For himself, and the rest of the Order.

"As busy as ever, I see."

Turning around, Obi-Wan was not surprised to find Padmé approach him with a hover cradle procured by the ever stealthy Master Tholme during one of his first excursions after Sidious' death. As ever, Luke and Leia were radiant, smiling, happy children, watching everything around them with a pure, unspoiled sense of glee. Their tiny hands trying to grasp at anything within reach, Obi-Wan's beard being a favorite. Which is why he kept just a bit of a distance from them as he leaned over and smiled at the twins. They smiled back.

"Not as busy as you, I suspect."

"Well, I won't deny I have some sleepless nights," Padmé laughed with some genuine mirth. Obi-Wan pretended not to notice the marks under her eyes. Much like with Yoda, he offered comfort and a helping hand when it felt necessary but it was rarely so. They both found much comfort and respite in the form of children. That, and the fact she too was visited at least once already by a mutual friend. "But I'm getting used to it. Plus, it is fun listening to Threepio get overwhelmed most of the time. Luke especially likes making trouble for him."

"Careful, if he's anything like his father, he'll disassemble the poor droid before he's ready to walk."

Padmé let out a half-suffering sigh at the thought. Anakin no doubt regaled her of many tales of his droid assembling exploits on Tatooine and the previous temple. So far, Leia did not show quite as much of a proclivity to mechanical matters, opting to spend more time in nature or with her mother, pretending to read books about anything and everything provided for her.

"You're right, I'll have to keep an eye out for that."

"Ow!" A small, orange Torgruta girl yelped as the practice droid struck her in the left wrist, causing her to drop her practice saber. Some of the other children tried to dare a snicker until Obi-Wan gave them a very pointed look not to.

"I'll leave you to it, besides, we've already got a play date with little Korto."

"Say hello to Quinlan for me," Obi-Wan smiled, wondering just how much trouble the children of Anakin and Quinlan would get into when they grew older. It was terrifying and spectacular to think about in equal measure. But that was something to consider for another time, now, he had his duty to perform to the young who needed him in the moment at hand.

* * *

Anakin and Qui-Gon watched the scene from one of the empty balconies of the temple. Obi-Wan, their friend patiently and carefully grabbing hold of the practice saber and in slow, clear movements showing the Torgruta girl how to execute her Soresu movements. She picked it up after a single try. Padmé steered the hover cradle away, smiling at the giggles and laughs of the twins, pointing out what anything that seemed to capture their boundless attention was.

Not for the first time, Anakin wished he could be there in-person, to share in these events like a father should. Qui-Gon sensed this and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You'll get the chance to meet."

"I know, I just wish I could be a more... Ordinary father for them."

"But?"

"But," Anakin let the regret passing into the Force without effort. "I gave them something important already, a future. A much, much better one than what could've come to pass. They'll have their own challenges to face, enemies to fight. But they've got all the help they need to see it through to the end."

"And a great many things they inherited from you and Padmé," Qui-Gon smiled, steering him away from the balcony. "But come now, my friend. It is time for us to undertake a journey of our own."

"The true depths of the Force," Anakin said, eyes staring out into something beyond the ability of even the greatest Force users to perceive, all laid out and waiting for him to experience. "I never thought I'd have the privilege of seeing it."

"It can be overwhelming at points. Though, unlike me, you'll have the advantage of a partner at your side to ease things along. That is," A rueful smile graced Qui-Gon's face. "If there's a spot on the Team for me."

Smiling back, Anakin rubbed his chin with his restored right hand and began walking forward. "I dunno, guess I'll just have to get us into some trouble first and see how you do."

Together, laughing and at peace, the two men vanished from the Temple. Vanishing to a world formed by all life across the universe and yet so, so much very more as well. So far away and yet so close, comforting in its familiarity and dazzling in its stark differences. A world of experiences, sounds, and sensations beyond the capacity of any holonet vid to convey, of any concert to vocalize or any simple writer to put to prose.

* * *

**A/N: With that, we've reached the ending. Gotta say, I didn't expect the story to ever blow up the way it did or for me to be so happy with it when this point finally came about but I am. It was one of the hardest but most satisfying fics to write maybe in all the years I've been doing it. Hopefully, you guys had as good of a time reading it as well. If you're feeling sad about the end, feel free to check out some of my other fics you can find in my signature and keep an eye out for whatever I cook up next. See ya there! **


End file.
